Cricket, Crowns and Conspiracies: Inside Vizzy’s Infamous Captaincy

The Captain Who Tried to Run Out His Own Teammate.

Cricket in India owes its robust foundation and unwavering popularity largely to the efforts of the rulers of the princely states. Under their patronage, cricket prospered and emerged as a unifying force. The Maharajas would scout and hone talent, organize local tournaments and even sponsor foreign tours.

However, there was another side to it. Their own cricket ability, good or bad, was of little relevance. Instead, it was their financial strength and connections that paved the way for them to assert their supremacy, even in cricketing matters.

Patiala vs Vizzy: A Rivalry Beyond the Boundary

It was against this backdrop that animosity between the Maharaja of Patiala and Vizianagaram peaked, especially after the formation of BCCI in 1928. Even though Patiala was richer and more skilled as a cricketer, ‘Vizzy’ was driven by his ambition to captain India.

He succeeded in drafting a star-studded side composed of Herbert Sutcliffe and Jack Hobbs for a tour in 1931 - no easy feat by any means. In response, Patiala arranged the training for England’s tour of 1932 at Bardari Palace in Patiala and also offered to sponsor the tour.

Vizzy looked to strengthen his position in the power dynamics. He had an amicable relationship with the then Viceroy, Lord Willingdon and offered to donate a ‘golden’ Willingdon trophy to winners of India’s national championship in 1934. Patiala blocked his attempts by donating a similar trophy but in the honor of RanjitSinghji, one that continues to be played to this day. However, Vizzy was relentless and his continuous interplay of politics and sport ultimately reaped benefits in 1936, when he was chosen the captain for the tour of England.

Chaos in England

As soon as the team landed on English shores, Vizzy’s arrogance and abject understanding of the game wreaked havoc. He once bribed an opposition player to bowl him full tosses and weaker deliveries so that he could score runs. That he was a substandard player was no revelation. However, his leadership drew sharp criticism even from his own teammates, who asked him to step down and make way for Nayudu to be appointed captain.

This left Vizzy infuriated. He made Baqa Jilani insult Nayudu at the breakfast table prior to the third test in return for a test cap. His feud with Lala Amarnath had far-reaching consequences for Indian cricket.

The Lala Amarnath episode

The confrontation began over field placements during a tour match but later escalated when Amarnath was demoted in the batting order and forced to bowl and field despite severe back pain. Vizzy would ask Amarnath to pad up and not send him to bat until the end of the day, which once prompted an intense outburst from Amarnath.

The team manager, Britten Jones, consequently charged Amarnath with indiscipline. Notwithstanding the team’s chances on the tour, Vizzy and Britten Jones conspired to have their best all-rounder sent back home midway through the tour.

Another reason for this envy was Amarnath’s closeness to the Maharaja of Patiala, a long standing-rival of Vizzy. Despite his impressive performances, Amarnath was treated with utmost disdain and insensitivity. Vizzy used all his political strength to ensure Amarnath did not return to the side.

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The Vijay Merchant–Mushtaq Ali incident

The skirmishes within the team kept growing but Vizzy was not one to bow down. The next victim of his insanity was Vijay Merchant. During the second test, he instigated Syed Mushtaq Ali to run Vijay Merchant out and offered him a gold watch as a reward.

Imagine the captain of a team doing this!

Ali, however, spoke to Merchant about Vizzy’s scheme and the duo strung a mammoth 203-run partnership, denying Vizzy his share of off-the-field success.

A Ruined Tour and a Tainted Legacy

To say Vizzy’s ego-filled captaincy stint ruined the prospects of a talented team wouldn’t be wrong. This is evident from the fact that India won the third and only Test of the tour in his absence, which he had to miss in order to receive his knighthood. He did accomplish his dream of playing for India and captaining the side. However, his disastrous campaign meant this was all he had to show for his international career.

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