M. L. Jaisimha

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M.L. Jaisimha
India (IND)
M.L. Jaisimha
Batting style Right-hand bat
Bowling type Right-arm medium pace, Right-arm off break
Tests First-class
Matches 39 245
Runs scored 2056 13,516
Batting average 30.68 37.44
100s/50s 3/12 33/65
Top score 129 259
Balls bowled 2,097 27,771
Wickets 9 431
Bowling average 92.11 29.86
5 wickets in innings - 18
10 wickets in match - 3
Best bowling 2/54 7/45
Catches/stumpings 17 157

Test debut: 18 June 1959
Last Test: 13 April 1971
Source: [1]

Motganhalli Laxminarsu Jaisimha pronunciation (help·info) (born March 3, 1939, Secunderabad, Andhra Pradesh - died July 6, 1999, Sanikpuri, Secunderabad, Andhra Pradesh) was an Indian Test cricketer.

M.L. Jaisimha a right-handed batsman who was noted for his style on and off the field. He bowled medium pace, often opening the bowling for India, and off breaks and was a brilliant fielder. But it was the way he went about things that caught the eye. Partab Ramchand wrote after Jaisimha's death that "his slim figure, which he maintained till his last day, the boyish good looks, the inimitable gait, the trademark silk shirt and scarf, the sleeves buttoned at the wrist or the collar turned up ­- all these attracted immediate attention."[2] Indian Cricket called him a 'cultivated stylist'.

Jaisimha made his first-class debut at the age of 15 scoring 90 for Hyderabad against Andhra Pradesh. After two indifferent seasons, he cracked hundreds against Madras and Mysore, the premier teams in the South Zone. 20 wickets in Ranji matches in the same season found him a place in the side that toured England in 1959. The debut at Lord's was disastrous, but his next two Tests won him notice. In the final Test against Australia in 1959/60 at Calcutta, he went into bat towards the end of the day and finished on 20* on the second. He started his second innings just before close on third, batted throughout the fourth scoring only 59 runs and was out on the final day for 74.[3] This made him the first batsman to bat on all five days of a Test match.[4] At Kanpur against Pakistan two years later, he batted through a whole day for just 49 runs, a world record. This innings which lasted 505 minutes for 99 runs ironically ended when he attempted a quick single to complete the hundred.[5]

Meanwhile, he converted himself into an opener. While there was a bit of competition for the Indian middle order, Pankaj Roy was coming to the end of his career as an opener. In that position, Jaisimha scored hundreds against England in 1961/62 and 1963/64 and a 134 against Ceylon. In the latter series against England he made 444 runs. In 1964/65, he batted in the middle order for Hyderabad and hit 713 runs. But failures in the Test matches led to him being dropped.

He was not part of the team that toured Australia in 1967/68, but injuries to Chandu Borde and B.S. Chandrasekhar and loss of form of others resulted in Jaisimha being flown in. He went straight into the third Test and scored 74 and 101, nearly pulling off an improbable win. Curiously, each of his three hundreds came in the third Tests of the respective series. He never again crossed 25 in Test cricket.

His last series was the tour of West Indies in 1970/71. Captain Ajit Wadekar was to write later that he found Jaisimha's counsel invaluable. In his last innings at Port of Spain he stayed for an hour scoring 23 and help Sunil Gavaskar save the match.

He led Hyderabad for 16 seasons and 76 matches. The Indian captain Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi often played under his leadership. Jaisimha was a selector between 1977/78 and 1980/81, and managed the Indian tour to Sri Lanka in 1985/86. MCC made him a life member in 1978. He was also a TV commentator for some time. His son Vivek Jaisimha was a first class cricketer.

His death was due to lung cancer.

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