Hyderabad: M. V. Sridhar, a central figure in Hyderabad cricket circles, passed away after suffering a cardiac arrest at his residence in Banjara Hills on Monday. He was rushed to a hospital where he was declared brought dead. He was 51 and left behind by his wife, son and daughter. His body will be cremated at 11 am on Tuesday at Maha Prasthanam in Whisper Valley, Hyderabad.
A man of multiple talents, Sridhar was a qualified doctor-turned cricketer-administrator who swiftly rose up the ranks. He resigned last month as the BCCI’s Cricket Operations Manager — a position he held for four years during which he interacted with the players, selectors, Board officials, members of different committees and even attended ICC meets.
Doc, as he was fondly called, is also credited for the smooth handling of ‘Monkey Gate’ controversy involving Harbhajan Singh and Andrew Symonds during India’s 2008 tour of Australia, a pointer to his communication skills. He was the Indian team’s media manager then.
The former Hyderabad captain was also the tournament director when India hosted the Twenty20 World Cup in 2016. Before that, he served the Hyderabad Cricket Association as secretary and joint secretary between 2000 and 2014.
Prior to that, he dazzled on the field to become Hyderabad’s highest run-getter. A right-handed batsman, Sridhar played 97 first-class matches between 1988 and 2000 and scored 6,701 runs at an average of 48.91 with 21 centuries and 27 fifties. He also played in 35 List ‘A’ games and scored 930 runs at 29.06, with five half-centuries and a highest of 78 not out.
His best was the staggering 366 in Hyderabad’s record-breaking total of 944/6 declared against Andhra at the Gymkhana ground (home) in the 1993-94 Ranji Trophy season. That individual score remains the highest for Hyderabad and the third highest in India behind Bhausaheb Nimbalkar’s 443 not out (for Maharashtra against Kathiawar in 1948) and Sanjay Manjrekar’s 377 (for Bombay against Hyderabad in 1991). Reactions to the tragedy poured in from all around. “It is very sad. This is a shock. We played cricket together for long and shared the room (on tours). This is a big loss for all of us,” former cricketer L. Venkatapathy Raju said.
MSK Prasad, chairman of BCCI’s Senior Selection Committee, said: “I am deeply saddened with the unfortunate demise of Dr M. V. Sridhar. Today, we have lost an excellent cricketer, an able administrator and a good friend. My heartfelt condolences to his family members.”
Hyderabad Cricket Association president G. Vivekanand paid tributes. “Sridhar’s death is a big loss for cricket. He played Ranji Trophy well. He did good work in cricket administration. He efficiently handled cricket affairs as BCCI General Manager. He negotiated the BCCI-ICC issues very well,” he said.
HCA secretary T. Sheshnarayan termed Sridhar’s demise a loss to cricket. “He was someone with immense administrative acumen. Hyderabad cricket is poorer after losing a dear friend,” he said. The BCCI, in a condolence message, said: “Dr Sridhar twice served as a manager with the Indian cricket team and was recently asked to supervise the Indian team during the tour to West Indies. He led the Hyderabad Ranji team with great distinction during his playing days.”
Former Indian hockey captain N. Mukesh Kumar, former Indian football captain and member of the HCA’s executive committee Victor Amalraj too expressed their condolences to the bereaved family. The Saurashtra Cricket Association too condoled Sridhar’s demise. “Governing body and everyone at SCA are deeply saddened by untimely demise of Dr M. V. Sridhar,” the Association said in a release.
