V. M. Muddiah

Who was V. M. Muddiah?

Venatappa Musandra Muddiah was an Indian cricketer who played in 2 Tests from 1959 to 1960.

Born in Bangalore, Karnataka, Muddiah came up through the Mysore University and Mysore State 'B' team. He studied in the Malleswaram Middle and High School and Central College, Bangalore. He later played club cricket for Malleswaram Gymkhana and Friends Union CC. He joined the Indian Air Force in 1948, but was soon found 'unfit for flying'. He left the Air Force and represented Mysore in 1951-52 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 1979.

Muddiah started off a batsman, became a medium pacer and finally an off-spinner. He retained his fifteen step runup 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 he had to live in the shadow of Ghulam Ahmed who was the primary Indian off spinner at the time. Muddiah was not selected to the Indian team till Ghulam retired in 1959.

Muddiah toured England in 1959, 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 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.²