Saad Bin Jung

Background

A member of the Pataudi royal family whose grandfather and uncle captained the Indian Test team, Saad Jung grew up in Hyderabad and attended Hyderabad Public School and Nizam College in Hyderabad.

Career

He is now a conservationist and author After playing schools cricket in the Cooch Behar Trophy he was selected just after his 18th birthday to play his first-class debut match for India Under-22s against the touring West Indians in November 1978. Opening the batting, he made 58, batting "most impressively, using the hook and cover-drive to advantage" against the pace attack of Sylvester Clarke, Malcolm Marshall and Vanburn Holder.

Two weeks later, also against the West Indians, he made 113 for South Zone, batting at number three, out of a team total of 283 for 8 declared.

Wisden declared that he "batted with calm assurance" and held out "promise of playing Test cricket in the future". His only innings of note in 1979-1980 was 136 not out in seven hours, batting at number five for Hyderabad against Tamil Nadu in the Ranji Trophy, the only century in a drawn match.

After two matches in 1980-1981 he contracted an illness which led to a long period of hospitalisation. After recovery, disenchanted with cricket in Hyderabad, he played the 1983-1984 season with Haryana, scoring 256 runs at an average of 32.00 in six matches, helping Haryana to reach the Ranji Trophy semi-finals.

He then retired from cricket at the age of 23.

They started their conservation career at Bandipur National Park in Karnataka way back in 1992. The Jungs owned a hunting lodge in Bandipur which Sangeeta decided to convert into an eco-resort. The Bandipur lodge was then bought by Club Mahindra.

As Bandipur turned commercial, the Jungs purchased a piece of land near the Kabini backwaters in 1993.

They aim to reconcile the needs of the local people with the needs of conservation. They have also been taking safari tours to Africa since 1995.

He has written three books: Wild Tales from the Wild, about the people and wildlife of the Mangala valley in Karnataka. Subhan and I: My Adventure with the Angling Legend of India, about angling for mahseer in the Cauvery River.

And a novel, Matabele Dawn, a thriller set in Africa and India.

Achievements

• He was selected for an Indian Board President"s XI against the West Indians later in the season, and also against the Pakistan touring team early the next season, but he achieved little in the first match and the second was ruined by rain and he did not battalion He also achieved little in two Duleep Trophy matches for South Zone in 1979-1980.