Venkatappa Musandra Muddiah (8 June 1929 – 1 October 2009) was an Indian cricketer who played in two Test matches for India between 1959 and 1960.
Personal Information
Full name: Venkatappa Musandra Muddiah. Born in Bangalore, British India, he studied at Malleswaram Middle and High School and Central College, Bangalore. He joined the Indian Air Force in 1948 and later served as an Air Traffic Controller, retiring as a Wing Commander in 1979.
Playing Style
Muddiah began his career as a batsman, transitioned to medium pace, and eventually became a right-arm off-spin bowler. He retained a fifteen-step run-up even after switching to spin bowling.
Domestic Career
Muddiah played first-class cricket for Services (1949–1962), Mysore (1951–1952), and Hyderabad (1953–1954). He made a dramatic first-class debut in 1949, taking 8 for 54 and 4 for 43 for Services against Southern Punjab, finishing with match figures of 12 for 97. Over his first-class career, he took 175 wickets at an average of 23.76, including ten five-wicket hauls and one ten-wicket match haul. His best bowling figures were 8 for 54. He also scored 805 runs at an average of 13.87, with a highest score of 67 and four half-centuries.
Notable performances include taking 6 for 22 for Mysore against Bombay in the 1951–52 Ranji Trophy semi-final, and 5 for 2 (conceding only two runs) for Services against Jammu and Kashmir in 1961–62.
International Career
Muddiah toured England with the Indian team in 1959, taking 30 wickets in first-class matches but did not play in any Tests on that tour. He made his Test debut against Australia at Delhi in December 1959, finishing wicketless with figures of 0 for 32. In his second and final Test, against Pakistan at Kanpur in December 1960, he took three wickets (1 for 62 in the first innings and 2 for 40 in the second), dismissing Mushtaq Mohammad, Hanif Mohammad, and Imtiaz Ahmed.
He was not selected for further Tests, largely due to competition with the established spin trio of Ghulam Ahmed, Vinoo Mankad, and Subhash Gupte.
Later Life
After retiring from cricket, Muddiah worked as a commentator on All India Radio's Bangalore station. The Government of Karnataka provided him with five acres of land outside Bangalore, where he operated a farm. He died on 1 October 2009 in Bangalore at the age of 80.
