M L Jaisimha (1939-1999)
One intuitively feels a deep connect with certain mavericks of a bygone era, led by the scores of elusive cues and clues they leave behind for the benefit of anyone who cares to look back. The implicit tell tale signs unpack the unsaid better than what most others narrate, and what arid statistics convey, on their behalf.
Motganhalli Laxminarsu Jaisimha, or M L Jaisimha (MLJ), is one such nonconformist. It is not difficult to imagine the trials and tribulations this fearless warrior would have faced in a world that swears by archaic traditions and stifling norms on the pretext of decorum and discipline. Whether the Greek tragedy of his life and times, or his brazen dignity that stood taller than every adversity that came his way, you can bridge, more than sense, many a missing link that prevented a crescendo MLJ so richly deserved in life, as also at work and play.
Had he been a regular member of the Indian squad, had he been allotted a fixed batting position, had he stuck a judicious blend between daredevilry and discipline, had he been blessed with a mentor who could help him work on his flaws and become more consistent, had he developed the stamina to be India’s ace swing bowler and later the resolve to be the top off-break bowler, things would have been different. Of course, there's no end to ‘If then’ loops, both in programming and in life, but sadly, in the latter case, they are invariably useless as we simply can’t go back in time to see the potential translating into performance.
Even after lapping up every public domain bit and byte on this debonair cricketer of yore, I was still hungry for more. I was hence thrilled to find his biography “My Way” co authored by distinguished journalist A Joseph Anthony and MLJ’s life partner cum soul mate Jayanthi Jaisimha, an invaluable resource on MLJ however lopsided it may be.
Honestly, one would have liked more material and mentions of MLJ’s cricketing genius and playground anecdotes, which seem to have been unknowingly relegated to the sidelines in the ocean of content devoted to the 'sun downer' Sharaab, Kabaab, and Shabaab escapades of the 24-carat Nawab that MLJ was, elaborated to the lowest granularity, at times even when it doesn’t directly involve the principle character.
Rather than be told about the tawdry prank that MAK Pataudi played on the unsuspecting wicket keeper P. Krishnamurthy capitalizing on the latter’s concern over his receding hairline, we would have liked to know more about such stellar characters like MLJ’s dad Laxminarsu, who was a self made entrepreneur, or maternal great grand dad Raman Nambiar, who was a polyglot, Ayurveda physician and gifted astrologer from Kasargod in Kerela, or the charismatic aviator Captain Lingam, MLJ’s brother in law who was former PM Rajiv Gandhi’s flying instructor, or about MLJ’s recreational visit to the West End Hotel, Bangalore at the behest of thespian Dilip Kumar.
Needless to say, we cherish all offbeat revelations about what were an integral part of MLJ’s persona but I just thought the chronicle could have gainfully focused on MLJ’s value prop as a cricketer, especially when another tribute ‘I adore Jai’ must have a lot on offer on MLJ the person off the field. I have not read the latter book yet, but I sense many avoidable overlaps. I would be happy to be proven wrong.
‘My Way’ starts off with panache in describing the happenstance first meet between two gifted individuals, one an anxious rookie (who is now a Very Very Special legend) and the other a stylish veteran of proven competence and unmatched panache, on Vijayawada’s Bandar Road, en route their commute to the Indira Gandhi Municipal Corporation ground for an under-13 cricket tournament, albeit in different capacities. No marks for guessing both names!
The memoir ends on a constructively poignant note – hearteningly free of sob story stuff or empty sentimentality - which moves the sensitive reader with the detailed account of how MLJ locked horns with his ailment in inimitable style and had a surprise for the world even at the time of leaving it. He died of an heart attack while battling lung cancer, not from liver cirrhosis which was presumed all along given his fondness for liquor. (It was apparently a case of pulmonary spindle-cell carcinoma given that the book makes a mention of spindle cell cancer)
Between the beginning and conclusion, the book has taken the form of disparate diary notes which don’t tell us much about when, where, and how MLJ’s affinity for, and ability in, cricket took shape. One feels many crucial aspects have been missed out in the daunting task of capturing the essence and significance of MLJ’s eventful life and chequered career of East man colour and three-dimensional spectacle. As Sunil Gavaskar mentions in the heartfelt foreword, “The volume of information can be overwhelming and brings with it the problem of knowing what to leave out.” Probably he meant the problem of not knowing what to leave out!
After admirably setting the tone for the protagonist’s arrival through an astute description of the lineage and family relocations - from native Motaganahalli in Karnataka to Hyderabad-Secunderabad in Andhra Pradesh (now part of Telangana state) via Bengaluru - the biography leaves us yearning to know more about MLJ’s earliest interactions with his mentors - the prolific cricketer-turned-administrator Ghulam Ahmed and George Mathew the ‘stickler for discipline’ captain of Maredpalli cricket club, MLJ's classroom and playground experiences; the evolution of his cricket; his trump cards and vulnerabilities during formative years; and his Achilles heel later in career. We simply know from elsewhere about his susceptibility to fiery pace but would have loved this book to throw more light on it, as also separate fact from fiction.
Although MLJ’s Ranji Trophy exploits are discussed in some detail, we were keen to learn about the key happenings of his undeniably historic but largely forgettable debut tour against the Englishmen, his field exploits and dressing room camaraderie with illustrious mates throughout his chequered test career, his celestial bond with 'Tiger' MAK Pataudi and 'Prince' Salim Durrani as also specifics of his chemistry with Pataudi to put the seemingly passing comment of MLJ’s wife in perspective (‘What rapport they must have had, though I always felt that Tiger was a selfish man’)
Hearteningly enough, there's enough material about MLJ’s inborn captaincy skills and actionable insights into the game and its intricacies to keep the compulsive cricket follower gainfully hooked…
…like how he successfully dissected the enigma of the Aussie John Gleeson, as he had read all about his role model predecessor Jack Iverson who “held the ball between the fore, middle and ring fingers, turning it either way with a flick of his long fingers.”
…like his timely dressing room advice to Ajit Wadekar during the 1971 second Test against the mighty West Indies, of introducing Salim Durrani at a time when Prasanna was injured and Bedi was fatigued. Courtesy MLJ, a plan was hatched in real time. First, the onside was blocked for Sobers, then short extra cover was moved to short mid-wicket. After Durrrani bowled three deliveries 'allowing' Sobers to drive, he quickened the fourth through the air, dipping it short. Sobers attempted a fatal drive only to see the ball dislodging the leg bail. Sir Garfield later aptly summed up MLJ’s calibre “Jai need not be on the ground to run the show.”
…like his priceless counsel to Sunil Gavaskar very early in the little master’s career: “Hook in line with your left rather than your right shoulder. By executing the stroke in line with the right shoulder, there runs the twin risk of the ball ricocheting into the batsman’s face or ballooning up for a catch. Tackling the delivery in front of the left shoulder only helps pat the ball along, on its way to the boundary. In case you miss, the ball will sail harmlessly into the keeper’s gloves.”
…like his knowledge of the secret sauce of Gavaskar’s big runs: “He does not play for runs. He never checks his scores either. He plays over by over, hour by hour and from session to session.”
…like his astute advice to VVS Laxman, “Your head is jutting out too much when you are playing across and you are flicking the ball away towards square leg and midwicket. Keep your head upright and play more firmly towards mid-on” as also his confidence about Laxman doing well in the middle order and the hunch about the epic 281 against Australia. (That Laxman scored a century against Queensland at Brisbane, the very ground where MLJ got 101 and 74 in 1968 surely had some celestial connect)
…like his pertinent tip to Hyderabad opener Nand Kishore, “Open up your left leg, about 10 degrees towards cover or extra cover’ which saw the batsman score 76 against Punjab after a series of dismissals fishing outside the off stump
…like his perfect description of EAS Prassana’s magic: “The rotation of the arm and the rest of the action seem identical. Yet every delivery is distinctly different.”
…like his heartfelt homage to Vijay Manjrekar: “Manjrekar senior wasn’t too good in the nets but played lion heartedly on tracks that used to remain uncovered."
…like his game changing instruction to off-spinner Shivlal Yadav: “Slow down your run up and flight the ball more” as also the eagle eye to spot the gutsy batsman in Yadav which later proved a boon for Indian cricket when Shivlal belied his tail ender identity with tenacious knocks during crucial moments
..like the participation of Pak legends Imran Khan and Mushtaq Mohammad, at his behest, in the benefit match to venerate his retirement from first class cricket
..like his minor field adjustments of major significance, say moving square leg 12 inches to the right and midwicket 15 inches to the left to ease catches, as narrated by Hyderabad pacer Hari Mohan, Harry to MLJ
…like his help to hapless journos, feeding meaty analysis of the game with regular pauses to ease their note taking
…like his fitting tribute to the revered columnist Rajan Bala “He could spot weaknesses of players fastest among country’s cricket writers."
…like his judicious tip to cricketer turned coach Vijay Paul to improve his on-side play during his playing days : “Play the delivery pitched on the middle and leg towards mid on or mid wicket. Sweep the slow leg spinners.”
MLJ's cricketing wisdom was never sermons; more often than not, it was delivered with matter-of-fact precision during causal conversations, devoid of dramatic flourish, which is what must have made it so effective
As the authors aptly summarise: “Jai’s heart ruled in most of his dealings. The cold objectivity attached to his cricket yielded to subjectivity in everything else. Although so given to the good time, he was surprisingly sentimental, sometimes to a fault.”
It is amply clear that instinct, as also uninhibited likes and dislikes, defined MLJ’s persona as a...
studied observer who could make an intuitive comparison between Lew Hoad and Boris Becker, tennis stars of different eras,
freewheeling stylist who idolised Keith Miller and had his sweater dangling over the left shoulder like his hero; and,
maverick artiste who shared his birthdate with post-impressionist legend Vincent van Gough.
Thank you A. Joseph Anthony and Jayanthi Jaisimha for authoring “My Way”, an enduring piece of literature dedicated to the everlasting memory of an exceptional individual.
We are sure the legend will bless the M. L. Jaisimha Sports Foundation with loads of love, luck and success from up above, way more than what came his way while he was around. The Vibhuti that his wife spotted on Sai Baba’s image during the June 2, 1999 Satyanarayana Puja on the eve of the couple’s 36th wedding anniversary will continue to work its magic unabated.
PS: I feel this thought piece by Venkatraman Ramnarayan, the prolific cricketer, journalist, editor, translator and more, is one of the best tributes to MLJ:
https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/he-was-the-nawab-of-hyderabad-cricket-101300