Hyderabad’s ‘wizard’ Mirza Baig was the Shah of Indian polo and one of the world’s greatest

Not many residents of Hyderabad know that one of the best polo players in Indian history belonged to the City of the Nawabs. When Shah Mirza Baig was at his peak, he was rated as one of the best in the whole world. His name has been mentioned in several records of the important bodies of polo that authenticate Baig’s immense talent as a polo playing genius.

At a young age Baig reached an international handicap of 9 goals. In the annals of the Coronation Cup, which was started in England in 1911 to commemorate the Coronation of King George V, the following line has been written about the Indian polo player: “The Coronation Cup was won by the team of the Indian Polo Association. The team had three British officers namely Captain Ritson, Cheape and Barrett. There was also Shah Mirza Baig of Hyderabad who is said to be the greatest wizard with a polo stick that the world has ever known.”

For the information of readers handicaps in polo is a system that has been created so that teams can be evenly matched. The players are rated on a scale from minus 2 to 10. Minus two is a novice while a player with a handicap of 10 is one of the best in the world. The handicap rating is reviewed every year. So, Shah Mirza Baig with his handicap of 9 became a great player when he was barely in his teens.

The Pilgrims won many important trophies all over India

The teams that Baig played for, won many hard battles, tournaments and trophies. One of the most memorable performances that Shah Mirza Baig gave was in 1906 in the Indian Polo Association championship in Calcutta (now named Kolkata). His team ‘The Pilgrims’ won the trophy with a commendable and consistent display of horsemanship and playing skills.

India’s greatest polo player Shah Mirza Baig (lying down) was a wizard with the polo stick. Pics: Siasat.com

Besides Baig, the other members of the team were Captain Campbell Ross, the famous Dhokal Singh and the Rajkumar of Cooch Behar (a relative of the well-known celebrity Maharani Gayatri Devi who was herself a good polo player and whose husband Sawai Man Singh, Maharaja of Jaipur,  was an excellent player too).

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According to Siraj Attari, former Steward of the Indian Polo Association (IPA), when Shah Mirza Biag was very young, he learnt the rudiments of the game from his father Abdullah Baig. It is said that the young lad used to go riding on his pony and dribble a polo ball along with him even through the crowded streets. He could keep control of the ball avoiding other vehicles such as tongas, bullock carts and also street vendors and pedestrians. After a few years, he became one of the most skilful ball jugglers that the world had ever seen.

Made Golconda team into a champion outfit

Later he represented the formidable Golconda team belonging to the Prince of Berar. His brother Khader Baig and their cousin Ibrahim Baig (who tragically died at a young age) also played for the Golconda team along with General Khader Yar Jung. These players took the Golconda team to the top of the national polo circuit in those days according to Siraj. The team won all the tournaments in Hyderabad, Bombay, Bangalore and Madras.

Hyderabad, which once boasted of 17 polo grounds scattered all over the twin cities, now has only the Bison polo ground in Secunderabad

Shah Mirza Baig was a great player to watch and people from far and near turned up to see his games. In 1924, he was at his peak and he could dribble the ball along the length of the field at full gallop. There was no player who had the caliber to take the ball away from him. Some players used to try and check him by riding into him but he would take the ball away to the other side and start again at full gallop. In short, he was unstoppable.

Baig died after a fall from his horse

Sadly, the story of this magician of the polo field came to an early end. In 1926, while representing the team of His Highness of Bhopal (father-in-law of MAK Pataudi), in a tournament in Bombay, Baig suffered a bad fall. His horse also fell and rolled over him. He suffered a grievous back injury which put him out of action and his health was never the same again. He managed to live a quiet life but his condition went from bad to worse and after three years he passed away.

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Hyderabad, which once boasted of 17 polo grounds scattered all over the twin cities, now has only the Bison polo ground in Secunderabad, where matches can be conducted and viewed by the public. But even that is not in regular use. The last polo tournament was held about 15-20 years ago and the Game of Royals as it is called, has no takers in the city that was once famed for its excellent players and top-notch teams.