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ML Jaisimha was such a "rakishly handsome" and debonair playboy-cricketer that "he was everybody’s hero", and his most famous fan was Sunil Manohar Gavaskar. Writing about such a magnetic personality could have become a tricky business, as it was easy to get carried away by his colourful character, awestruck by his amazing cricketing skills, and get bogged down in statistics and technicalities. But in My Way—The Biography of M L Jaisimha, A Joseph Antony and Jayanthi Jaisimha, have probed into the mind and ways of the flamboyant Jaisimha without being judgmental, picturing the man as he was—warts and all. The book moves in a jump-cut fashion, back and forth, unravelling Jaisimha the man and the player, in a meticulous manner. My Way brings to "life" Jai’s unadulterated personality, and the authenticity of the events and episodes in Jai’s life, narrated in the book, can be deemed as correct and faultless. For, Joseph Antony has not only put his journalistic skills and contacts to wonderful use, but his task has been greatly eased by roping in the late Jaisima’s wife Jayanthi as the co-author. Together, they spin a riveting tale. The book takes the reader down the path traversed by Jaisima on his "Matchless" bike and his father’s "Buick" through the lanes and roads of Secunderabad and Hyderabad, the school and college (Nizam’s) days, and his cricket odyssey. Though written in an anecdotal format, the book pans through Jaisimha’s life and times in all its essence. Jaisimha was born into the lap of luxury as the younger son of the colossally rich contractor Motganahalli Lakshminarsu, nicknamed "MGL". MGL had risen from humble beginnings to become one of the richest contractors whose landmark projects included the Thungabadra dam in Andhra and the Hyderabad airport. Jaisimha was a pampered brat even before he became a cricket star. His sprawling mansion boasted of tennis courts, a swimming pool and, of course, a cricket ground. Jai was as adept in both tennis and cricket, but it was in cricket that the young man put his heart and soul, and deservedly earned a place in the Indian team for the 1959 tour of England. Jai made his Test debut at Lord’s in the five-Test series, though it was not a particularly satisfying series for him. India were white-washed 0-5, and everybody else but Jai scored a century. Jai was cast away on return in the home series against Australia, led by Richie Benaud, but recalled for the last Test in Kolkata, where he created a world record by being on the field for all the five days of play, wielding the willow. He made 20 not out coming at the No 9 position in the first innings and 74 in the second innings to save the Test, captained by G S Ramchand, and cement a regular place for himself in the Indian team. He was presented a cheque for Rs 500 and a watch by fans for his impressive display. Jaisima’s gait and walk, and his stylish play earned him millions of adoring fans. He played the reverse sweep to perfection at least two decades before Ian Botham made it famous. When he was picked for the Indian Universities team against the Riche Benaud-led Australia at Bangalore, Jai flew down to the garden city and stayed in his father’s guest house, Crescent Home. Life was a ball for the youngster, and he lived it to the hilt. He made his Ranji debut for Hyderabad at the age of 15, which was his last year at school, against Andhra Pradesh in 1954. He hit 90, and his father gifted him the "Matchless" bike for this marvellous knock. The Hyderabad Ranji squad then comprised ‘nawabs’ like Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi and Abbas Ali Baig. Jai came into national reckoning in 1959 when he cracked half century for Hyderabad against the visiting West Indies led by Gerry Alexander, and comprising the dangerous Wes Hall, spinner Lance Gibbs and Ramadhin. The knock got him a call for the Indian team to tour England. Jai was tall, handsome and always turned out in immaculate cricketing gear, wearing trendy sunglasses. Women swooned over him, and film offers came pouring. But he was a shy man and did not want to enter the tinsel world. The dashing cricketer had hewed a special niche for himself among the cricketing greats. He had his ups and downs, elations and heartbreaks. But Jai remained a vivacious personality till the very end, despite battling against cancer. He died on July 7, 1999. Jaisimha honed his cricketing skills at the New Club, established by his father, first playing "tin and bottle" tournaments, before graduating to the Marredpalli Cricket Club (MCC) which saw his evolution as player. Nissar and Jai were the only Secunderabadis who could get into the Hyderabad team, and Jai came into national reckoning through the month-long Rajkumari Amrit Kaur Coaching Scheme conducted by the legendary Test captain Lala Amarnath. Like in the case of most
cricketers, Jai suffered at the hands of cricket officials. He was in
and out of the Indian team for reasons right and wrong, but he was never
bitter, even after he made his last bow, after the away series to West
Indies in 1971. Jai played many other roles in cricket after retirement
from international cricket, with elan. He was one of a kind. Everybody’s
hero, as Sunil Gavaskar has succinctly observed in his foreword. |
