Every person born in India turns out to be either a cricketer or a fan of cricket. The people of Hyderabad are no different. It was the British Army that first introduced the people of Hyderabad to Cricket. Then on it continues to grow. The Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad is one of the most famous stadiums in India. The first match played on this ground was between India and South Africa. Let us look at some of the famous players who played for the Indian cricket team and made all the Hyderabadis proud.
1. Mohammad Azharuddin
The first name that comes to mind when we think of cricketers from Hyderabad is Mohammad Azharuddin. He was a successful captain of the Indian national cricket team during the 1990s. He was a middle-order right-hand batsman and was well-known for wristy stroke play. He has an amazing batting history. He played 99 tests and 334 ODIs scoring more than 15000 runs. He also scored twenty-two 100s and twenty-one 50s. He is one of the few players who started and ended career with a 100+ score. He is a recipient of the Arjuna award and the prestigious Padma Sri. He at present is the president of the Hyderabad cricket association.
2. VVS Laxman
Laxman is a former international cricketer who represented India. His greatest abilities are fast scoring and stroke play. He played 134 tests and 86 ODI scoring 8781 runs and 2338 runs respectively with a batting average of 45.97. He was endowed with the Arjuna Award and the Padma Sri, India's fourth-highest civilian award in 2001 and 2011 respectively for his remarkable contribution in the sport. He is one of the three members of the Cricket Advisory Committee of BCCI. He was a mentor of Sunrises Hyderabad franchise in IPL.
3. Mohammed Siraj
Siraj is a right-arm fast bowler and represents India in international cricket. He took the wicket of Kane Williamson in his T20 debut in November 2017. In Jan 2023, he was ranked the No.1 ODI bowler in the ICC world ranking. He is the only bowler in IPL history to do two subsequent maiden overs in a single match. In 21 ODIs that he played, he already took 38 wickets.
4. Pragyan Ojha
Ojha was born in Odisha but spend his entire life in Hyderabad. His debut ODI was against Bangladesh in 2008. He made his test debut a year later against Sri Lanka in Kanpur. (This win was the 100th test win for India). He won the man of the match in his first T20 against Bangladesh when he took 4 wickets giving just 21 runs. He played 24 tests and has as many as 113 wickets. He was also ranked world No.5 in the ICC Player ranking.
5. Shivlal Yadav
Shivlal Yadav was a former Indian right-arm off-break bowler. He played 35 tests and took more than 100 wickets. His career-best was against Australia in Sydney with figures 8/118. He showcased his talent in the very first test of his career when he took 7 wickets against Australia in 1979. He ended the series with an impressive 24 wickets.
6. Abbas Ali Baig
Abbas was a former first-class cricketer from India. He scored 112 runs in his debut, becoming the youngest and first player to score a hundred in his debut. He has more than 12000 runs in first-class cricket and 428 runs in 10 tests. He was a part of the team during India's tour of England in 1971. He was the coach of the Indian cricket team for the 1992 world cup.
7. Noel David
Noel is a former Indian cricketer who played a lot of domestic cricket representing Hyderabad. He was a right-arm batsman. He was an outstanding fielder many a time compared to Jonty Rhodes. He couldn't make it to the Indian cricket team except on one occasion. He was chosen as a replacement for Javagal Srinath for a four 0DI test series against West Indies in 1997. At present he is the chief selector for Hyderabad. He also presides as the chairman of the Junior Selection Committee.
8. Syed Abid Ali
Syed Abid Ali was a decent all-rounder who played a lot of first-class cricket. He has achievements in both fields. Being a lower-order batsman, he was a quick run-getter with most runs coming by running between the wickets. His debut against Australia was considered the best at that time. He ended the final test with consecutive fifties. His career-best came in 1974 when he took 6 wickets allowing only a score of 23 against Surrey at the Oval. He is also credited for playing the winning boundary which leads to India's win over England. The most tragic incident happened in the early 1990s when his death was wrongly announced in the media by the former Indian cricketer Farokh Engineer, while the bypass surgery was successful.
9. ML Jiasimha
Jaisimha is a former Indian cricketer and played 39 tests for India. But more than cricket he is remembered for his captivating personality. A simple good-looking man yet had a hero-like aura. He scored hundreds against England, Ceylon, and England. He proved his greatness when he scored a massive 444 in a series against England. During a test against Australia in 1959-60, he batted on all five days, becoming the first player to do so. Later he mentored former Indian captain Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi.
10. Pochiah Krishnamurthy
Pochiah Krishnamurthy is a former Indian wicketkeeper. He played more than first-class cricket representing Hyderabad. He was a perfect man behind the stumps. He found himself a position in the national team for the West Indies tour in 1971 as a replacement for Farokh Engineer. He performed quite well with 7 catches and 1 stumping. He also played one ODI against New Zealand. Most of the time he couldn't make it to the team due to established wicket-keepers like Farokh Engineer.
