India have been blessed with some of the greatest cricketers to have ever played the game. Sunil Gavaskar, Kapil Dev, Sachin Tendulkar, Anil Kumble, Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman and Virat Kohli are among the few names in a list of illustrious cricketers to have graced the Test format for India over the last several decades.
However, one man represented India more than a hundred years back and he will forever be remembered in history as one of the WORST cricketers to have played Test cricket.
Sir Gajapatairaj Vijayaa Ananda, also known as Vizi, was born with a silver spoon on this day (December 28) in 1905 into the royal family of Vizianagram. Vizi was an ardent fan of cricket but his selfishness and obvious influence would prove detrimental for the Indian team in the years to come.
Vizzy was one of the sport’s earliest controversial characters. Born with immense wealth, he managed to get luminaries like Jack Hobbs and Herbert Sutcliffe to come to India to play cricket.. Some of those matches were apparently hosted at his palace!
Vizzy wasn’t satisfied just being a patron of the game – he wanted more. He did not want to be a sponsor alone – Vizzy wanted to play cricket, and at the highest level. The problem was : he did not have the talent.
Vizzy used his power to name himself captain of India for the Test tour of England in 1936 but he was shockingly bad with the bat, managing to score a mere 33 runs at an average of 8.25 in 3 Tests. History suggests Vizzy gifted a gold match to an opposition player and he was perhaps rewarded with no more than a full toss and a couple of other easily hittable balls.
Moreover, Vizzy was slammed for his poor leadership on the tour and for sending Lala Amarnath, one of Indian cricket’s legends, back home on disciplnary grounds.
Once Vizzy returned home, he receded into the background but stormed back years later as a politician, administator and commentator.
Wondering whether he made his mark as a commentator? Well, he was labeled as boring and dull.
Some historians feel Vizzy would have been better off as a sponsor and patron of the game rather than trying to become a cricketer.
