Veteran Umpire Ramaswamy Breaks Silence: “Blame the Club Secretaries”
MS Shanker
After weeks of speaking to former Hyderabad cricketers—disillusioned, dejected but not defeated—I took a detour. On the advice of some wise old players and my former colleague Jagannath Das, I turned my attention to those who watch the game from the other side of the boundary: umpires.
And who better to begin with than the most respected name in Indian umpiring—V.K. Ramaswamy, the man who stood tall and firm in whites from Motibagh to MCG?
At 80-plus, Virinchipuram Krishnamoorthy Ramaswamy is still razor-sharp. His eyes may be behind spectacles, but his view of the game’s decline is clearer than ever. In a freewheeling conversation, the former Test and ODI umpire minced no words, naming names (sort of) and pointing fingers exactly where they belong: at the club secretaries who ruined Hyderabad cricket.
Ramaswamy’s credentials are impeccable. He umpired 26 Tests and 43 ODIs between 1983 and 2002, including key matches in the 1987 and 1996 World Cups—one of them the historic Kenya upset of West Indies. But his bond with Hyderabad cricket runs far deeper. He served as HCA umpire (1970–2004), club secretary (1985–2003), and executive committee member (1996–2000). He even conducted umpiring workshops until 2017. In short: he’s seen Hyderabad cricket in all its forms—glorious, grinding, and now, grotesque.
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“We Had Seven India Players Once. Today?”
Ramaswamy remembers the golden age, when Ghulam Ahmed’s wisdom and P.R. Man Singh’s discipline laid the foundation for Hyderabad’s cricketing culture. “There was a system—league to zonals to Moin-ud-Dowla to Ranji,” he says. “And we produced seven Indian players from that pipeline.”
Today? “We’re struggling to stay in the elite group. We’ve been demoted to the Plate Group. And how many players from Hyderabad have worn the India cap in the last decade?”
It’s a rhetorical question. We both know the answer. Embarrassingly few.
More Matches, More Money, Less Cricket
The irony isn’t lost on him. “Back then we had just five Ranji league games and a couple of knockouts. Today, there’s an explosion—more teams, more matches, more money. But has quality improved in proportion?”
The veteran umpire laughs bitterly. “Quantity without quality is like flood without irrigation. Looks impressive on paper, drowns everything in reality.”
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Rot Starts at the Root: The Clubs
Where did the rot begin?
Without flinching, Ramaswamy points the finger: “The club secretaries. Period.” These are the very men who elect the Apex Council and influence every appointment, from selectors to coaches to curators.
“These positions should be held by people of proven integrity and competence, cricketers or not. But what we have now is a mess of vested interests, backroom deals, and silent auctions of morality,” he says.
He adds, “There’s no need to import outsiders. We have committed people in this state. But they’re sidelined by those who see cricket not as a sport but as a cash cow.”
Revive Zonal System, Resurrect Moin-ud-Dowla
Like many, Ramaswamy believes part of the revival lies in restoring the old ladder: zonal tournaments and the once-prestigious Moin-ud-Dowla Gold Cup. “Back then, even national selectors watched Moin matches. That’s how you spot talent. Not through WhatsApp forwards and patronage politics.”
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A Personal Appeal: Let the Honest Take Over
I join Ramaswamy’s call with an earnest plea: let better wisdom prevail on those who’ve systematically ruined the game. Yes, some of them played for the country and the state. But that should not become a licence to cling to power indefinitely.
Step aside. Let the upright and the untainted take charge.
Courts must fast-track pending cases against tainted HCA presidents and secretaries. Agencies that’ve completed probes must ensure those guilty face lifetime disqualification from cricket administration.
And what of the clubs themselves? Many operate not as nurseries of cricket but as money-laundering fronts. These clubs must be brought under state investigating agencies. Are they promoting cricket? Or simply collecting player registration fees to fund evening parties and election bribes?
No Clean-Up, No Comeback
If the rogue clubs aren’t cracked down upon—and if corrupt officials aren’t shown the door—Hyderabad cricket will keep sinking deeper into mediocrity.
The past had system, commitment, and integrity. The present has none. But with voices like Ramaswamy rising, maybe, just maybe, there’s hope yet for a new beginning.
