Venatappa Musandra Muddiah, an all rounder was a well known name in Indian cricket during his times. He was an off batsman. He was an Indian test cricketer, who played two test matches from the year 1929 to 2009.
Early Life of Venatappa Musandra Muddiah
Venatappa Musandra Muddiah or V.M Muddiah was born on June 8th 1929. He hailed from Bengaluru in Karnataka. He studied in the Malleswaram Middle and High School and Central College, Bangalore.
Early Career of Venatappa Musandra Muddiah
Venatappa Musandra Muddiah later played domestic and regional level club cricket for Malleswaram Gymkhana and Friends Union CC. Venatappa Musandra Muddiah joined the Indian Air Force in the year 1948, but was soon found unfit for flying.
Venatappa Musandra Muddiah left the Air Force and represented Mysore Cricket Team in domestic level in the year 1951-1952 but was recalled to the IAF as an Air Traffic Controller in the next year. He went on to become a Wing Commander before taking voluntary retirement in the year 1979.
Later Career of Venatappa Musandra Muddiah
Venatappa Musandra Muddiah started off as batsman, becaming a medium pacer and finally an off-spinner. He retained his fifteen step runners up even while bowling spin. He had a great start to his first class career when he took 8 for 54 for Services against Southern Punjab in 1949.
But for most of his career, Venatappa Musandra Muddiah had to live in the shadow of Ghulam Ahmed who was the primary Indian off spinner at the time. Venatappa Musandra Muddiah was not selected to the Indian team till Ghulam Ahmed retired in the year 1959.
Venatappa Musandra Muddiah toured England in the year 1959. He took thirty wickets in first class matches but did not appear in a Test. He failed to take a wicket on Test debut against Australia at Delhi in 1959-60. In his only other appearance, against Pakistan Cricket Team in international match a year later, he took the wickets of Mushtaq Mohammad, Hanif Mohammad and Imtiaz Ahmed and had Wallis Mathias dropped at short-leg by Polly Umrigar, another most widely acclaimed Indian cricketer of his times.
Another chance came against visiting the England team in 1961-1962. Venatappa Musandra Muddiah took 6 for 71, for the North Zone all the wickets were top-order batsmen. But after a terrible effort for Services against MCC on the eve of the fourth Test he was not selected. Venatappa Musandra Muddiah retired soon after.
Venatappa Musandra Muddiah took 175 wickets in his first class career that lasted until late 1962. One of his more notable performances was for Mysore Cricket Team in the 1951-52 Ranji Semifinal against Bombay Cricket Team. After Mysore Cricket Team made 170, Bombay finished the first day on 163 for 1. It rained overnight and Venatappa Musandra Muddiah took six wickets in eight overs to bowl Bombay out for 205 on the second day. Mysore still lost by an innings. Venatappa Musandra Muddiah also took 5 for 2 against Jammu and Kashmir Cricket Team in 1961-1962.
Venatappa Musandra Muddiah had his benefit match in the year 1980. The Government of Karnataka provided him with 5 acres of land outside Bengaluru where he ran a farm.
Personal Life of Venatappa Musandra Muddiah
Venatappa Musandra Muddiah has two daughters and a son who is a lieutenant colonel in the Indian Army. He died on 1st October in the year 2009.
