Najam Hussain 80th Birthday

The Forgotten Cricketer from the 1960s

On the eve of his 80th birthday, the great all rounder of India Cements/ Jolly Rovers is going through a tough phase financially

The ICA provided financial assistance to him during the lockdown but mounting medical bills and multiple surgeries to his son have set him back further, financially. It is hoped the TNCA, KSCA, BCCI and his former employers would support this cricketer who once upon a time in the distant past gave them great delight with his all round display on the field

In Dec 1965, he scored a century for Mysore in a record breaking Ranji Match when his state team dismissed all 20 Hyderabad batsmen through the 'Caught' mode - a first time occurance in the history of cricket - One for the Guiness Records in Cricket

He scored a century against all Ceylon side and took 9 wickets in one session at Chepauk to single handedly win the Buchi Babu match against Hyderabad 

(WITHIN HOURS OF THIS STORY, SANMAR GROUP'S N SANKAR MADE A SIGNIFICANT FINANCIAL CONTRIBUTION TO NAJAM HUSSAIN)

Mir Najam Hussain, the great all rounder who played for Mysore, Madras and Jolly Rovers in the 1960s will be celebrating his 80th Birthday tomorrow (Oct 24), 55 years since he scored a century for Mysore against Hyderabad in a historic match that created a world record for the first time in 80 years of cricket. All the 20 wickets claimed by Mysore were dismissals recorded as ‘Caught’. Since then this has occurred a few times, but back then in December 1965, it was the first time that all the 20 wickets of a team in a first class cricket match were through the mode of ‘caught’ and hopefully will feature one day in the Guiness Book of Records as the first time all the batsmen in a cricket team were out Caught in both the innings!!! 

He made significant contribution to Mysore and Madras teams in the Ranji Trophy and was an integral part of Jolly Rovers (India Cements) in the TNCA league, Buchi Babu Tournament and The Hindu Trophy (Sport and Pastime). He was regarded as a star cricketing personality that decade alongwith the likes of KR Rajagopal, PK Belliappa and B Kalyanasundaram. In the 1980s, after his return to Bangalore from Madras, he coached the to be international cricketers such as Anil Kumble, Rahul Dravid, Vijay Baradwaj, Venkatesh Prasad, Dodda Ganesh and Johnson. Three decades later, Match Referree Javagal Srinath still refers to him as his ‘Teacher’. A man with such a remarkable cricketing background is now languishing in financial turmoil on the eve of his 80th birthday celebrations. 

Tears, mostly of joy reminiscing the good old cricketing days in Madras, roll down his eyes all through the long conversation with this writer. He remembers the great contribution of KS Narayanan and N Sankar to his cricketing life and the way the two of them took care of him as their own family member. 

The Move to Jolly Rovers and Madras 

Through the first half of the 60s, he played for Mysore alongside EAS Prasanna and BS Chandrasekar and performed creditably including scoring a century in that historic match in Secunderabad in December 1965 against Hyderabad when all the 20 Hyderabad batsmen were caught. Najam himself took a brilliant catch to dismiss Pataudi, a catch that lights him up even today and makes him forget the financial challenges for a moment. As with KR Rajagopal(KR Rajagopal), he moved to Madras when he was picked by KSN and Sankar for Jolly Rovers in 1966 and played the second half of the decade for Madras in the Ranji Trophy. 

He shares great bonding with KR Rajagopal and commends his commitment to both work at India Cements and cricket “Rajagopal was a brilliant cricketer. Once, he worked at the foundries till just before the start of the match and then went straight from there to Chepauk to score a century. If only Belli had Raja’s brain and Raja had Belli’s brawn.”

The GM of ITI in Bangalore Venkatraman was the one who referred their names to KSN and that’s when both of them made the shift to Madras from Mysore. Najam Hussain was among the first appointees at India Cements after they took over the running of Jolly Rovers in 1966 and says he enjoyed a brotherly bonding with Sankar. It was such a cosmopolitan side but all of them combined well as a team. There was no differentiation at all and the played as a well oiled unit, motivateevery match by the presence of KSN and Sankar at the ground.

The Cricket Job Interview with KSN in 1966

He remembers his first meeting with KSN “When I met him for the interview, he said enjoy and play cricket but also do some work in office. He took us under his fold and encouraged us beyond our dreams. We matured as cricketers in Madras under KSN and Sankar. It was my most enjoyable stint in cricket.”

While the cricketers had compensatory off on Monday after they played a game on Sunday, he says they would all be at the office at 8.30am on Monday morning.

Top Management encouragement

The memories of  KSN and Sankar(N Sankar) encouraging the entire team in every match is still fresh in his memory. Once he batted on one leg to win a Buchi Babu match for India Cements which then took one month to heal but that was his commitment to the two of them “They gave us royal treatment that we had not experienced anywhere else. They looked up to us for a grand display on the field and took great care of us off the field.We toiled hard and gave our blood for India Cements. More importantly, we played cricket the way it ought to be played. We played with a ‘straight bat’ in those years. It was glorious years with them.” 

Najam Hussain recalls his life on Subramaniam street in Abhiramapuram in those years “After my performances for Jolly Rovers, they handed me a timely loan for my scooter and then subsequently money for my housing reconstruction as well. ”

Rejects SBI officer's post, continues with Jolly Rovers

At the peak of his form, SBI offered Najam Hussain an officer’s post in 1966. It would have been an offer that any cricketer of the time would have grabbed with both hands. In fact, the offer letter was kept pending for two years at the desk of the Madras office of SBI. He was in India Cements at that time and his commitment to KSN and Sankar was such that he let go the PSU job, one that would have given him long term financial security. He continued in the marketing department working in the Dhun Building on Mount Road in Madras. 

Later, SBI’s GM Balakrishnan personally came up to him at the end of a Buchi Babu Final and asked him if he remembered the banker. It was a great moment for Najam Husssain that he remembers to this day “I thanked him profusely for the great offer but told him that he was committed to KSN and Sankar and to India Cements and that he would continue with them.” 

It was a time when off spinner R Chandrasekaran was in the thick of action at SBI (RC SBI).

His father, a Vigilance Commissioner, wrote a polite letter to Balakrishnan on the then popular ‘inland letter’ citing the reason for his son Najam not being able to take up the Bank offer. 

He stayed with India Cements for 18 years. 

Dei, you are a great all rounder

As he looks back at cricket in the 2nd half of the 1960s, his memories go back to that great swing bowler KS Kannan, who was the first coach of (K Balaji The Hindu) The Hindu's K Balaji (later played Ranji Trophy for TN) “In Marina, with the cross wind, he was simply unplayable and made the opposition batsmen dance to his tunes with his prodigious swing”, he recalls the matches at the Marina watched by huge crowd that stood on the beach side. 

Every time Kannan looked at Najam both at the ground and later, Najam remembers those shouts from him ‘Dei, you are a great all rounder.’ Those words of Kannan inspired him to perform better and still remain etched in his memory over five decades later.

It was such inspiration that led him to a century against a strong All Ceylon side and triggering a dramatic collapse with the ball in the Buchi Babu match at Chepauk when he took 9 wickets in one session to help beat Hyderabad.

Best Phase in Cricket- The India Cements days

He reflects on that phase in cricket in Madras and the time at India Cements as the best of his life. The Sport and Pastime trophy he says was a pioneering initiative in 30overs cricket and was replicated by other states much later. In a match in the tournament against a strong SBI team, he bowled 15overs at a stretch in one spell at the Vivekananda College ground.

                                    Jolly Rovers Tripanathura Tourney

Well past his best, he remembers getting the then University player K Srikkanth gobbled up at slip by his close friend PK Dharmalingam (PKD) “Cheeka played and missed 12 times in that period and finally he got him nicking to slip.”

The 1980s- Starting all over again 

He quit India Cements in 1984 after 18 years with them as he could not move to the Cuddapah plant at that time. He had to start life all over again, afresh in his 40s. He moved to Bangalore and coached teenagers who later became international stars from Karnataka. He was that state coach of Karnataka during the formative years of Kumble, Srinath, Dravid and Venkatesh Prasad among others. He happily recollects suggesting Prasad’s name to the Chairman of Selectors as an ‘Indian cricketer for the future.” He was also the coach of 10 year old Rahul Dravid. 

Najam moulded the upcoming stars of Karnataka by talking to them in their mother tongue as against the usual conversations in English. More importantly, in every coaching stint in those years, he focused on building character of the players. Also with players coming in from different castes and communities, he stressed on the importance of national integration. 

The ‘Teacher’ to Karnataka's India cricketers

Only recently Javagal Srinath spoke to him from his IPL match referee stint in the UAE addressing him as ‘Teacher’. That’s the regard the Karnataka players have for Najam Hussian and for his contribution to their cricketing lives. 

Politics took away his prospective ITI job 

He played cricket for HAL in Bangalore till he was 45 when he scored 38 batting on one leg and made them a champions side. He was then selected as a sports officer at ITI and even received congratulatory messages but politics of the time meant that the post was handed to another at the last month. It would have helped his long term financial security but it was not to be. After his coaching stint ended in Karnataka, he did small engagements in Bangalore. He sold off his share from his family house to conduct the wedding of his two daughters. It has been a financially challenging phase in the life of a once great cricketer and coach but he is clear in his mind “It is better to deserve without receiving than to receive without deserving.”

Kanchi Periyava's look rejuvenates Najam

He remembers a time when he saw Kanchi Periya while he was travelling in Madras decades ago. The saint he says was looking only in one direction, not left or right “I instantly felt rejuvenated and there was a feeling of a new man and positive vibrations reverberated inside me. He may have cast his great eyes on me that day. Holy men don’t belong to any caste and have an universal appeal. He says that everything is pre ordained and God will cast his eyes on him once again sometime in the near future.”

ICA’s Financial Support 

Najam Hussain played just over 40 first class matches in the 1960s for Mysore and Madras. The pension from the BCCI for former Ranji cricketers has remained stagnant at Rs. 15000 over the last decade. Earlier this year, it was former TN opener from the 1970s V Krishnaswamy (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2016/08/krishnaswamy-v.html) who initiated financial support to him from the ICA during the lockdown ‘Kicha called me and assured assistance to me. I am personally grateful to him for that initiative that has been useful at a challenging period in my life.” 

More Financial Challenges in recent months 

Subsequent to the financial support from the ICA (Kicha ICA) and during the lockdown, his elder son met with a serious accident and had a multiple ligament fracture that has led to a piling up of medical bills and further financial challenges of this once great cricketer of India Cements. Najam himself has had multiple operations and these days he walks with the help of a walking stick. He lives in a rented house in Shanthi Nagar in Bangalore and the rental expenses too have been mounting. But like with batting and bowling, he is mentally courageous and has strong faith that God would take care of him. 

During the lockdown, the ICA also organised financial assistance to another TN Ranji cricketer from the 1970s and 80s - Peter Fernandez ( Peter Fernandez ICA).

He remembers the comment that the legendary Mysore fast bowler Kasturi Rangan once made to him in his youth “Reputation is what others know you to be, Character is what you know yourself to be.” In that context, he says that if he were given two cricketing options – Get Millions to play in coloured clothing Or Play in Whites once again in the 1960s and 70s, he would choose the latter “I will pick up the whites and Jolly Rovers/ India Cements of the time, not the millions.” 

Cricketers like Najam Hussain played for the love of the game when cricket was seen as a gentleman’s game. These days, he spends his time reliving those glorious moments of his life from the 1960s and 70s. He has more tears in his eyes as he shares the current state of his life “I have no money. I have no assets. I have no resources now. But I am happy with what God has given me in this life - happiness especially of reflecting on the cricket for India Cements and Jolly Rovers and for Mysore and Madras and especially the engagement with KSN and Sankar.” 

It is hoped that the authorities be it the TNCA / the KSCA / the BCCI or may be his employers from the 1960s and 70s would get around to financially support the man who offered so much joy with his all round display and one who played a role in the development of many international cricketers from Karnataka.

This is wishing Najam Hussain a Happy 80th Birthday.