RBI Madhavan Leg Spinner

He debuted with an 8 wicket haul in Ranji Trophy but let go a prospective cricket career within a few months of his Ranji Debut as a result of his father’s postal letters!!!

Srikkanth praised him as a great bowler but never stood by him when it came to TN selection in the 1980s 

At 63, into his 47th year in league cricket, Madhavan just landed up yet another five wicket haul in the TNCA league

This writer was at the Pachaiyappas College ‘B’ ground for the early season clash in the TNCA first division league in 1987. A high profile Alwarpet that included K Srikkanth (just a few months away from the World Cup) took on RBI, a team of well settled bankers. His clash with the leggie of RBI was an eagerly awaited clash on the opening day. Srikkanth did not open the batting and came to bat in the 2^nd half of the day. Just 18 months prior, he had smashed an international leggie from Australia all over the park. Hence, the onlookers were keen on how this local leg spinner would handle the star player (those days, crowds thronged wherever Srikkanth played, even if it was just a local league match).

But it was a day that left them disappointed as the leggie got him almost immediately sweeping a big turning leg break into the hands of deep square leg. Later that day, at the tea break, Srikkanth in his typical flamboyant style yelled out in Tamizh at the leg spinner ‘Payithiyam da nee. Moolaiye Illai. Zonal Cricket and India Aadeerkalam. Athai Vittutu, inga vanthu RBI Ku aadeendirukka, finding happiness in getting me out in this match’ (You are mad with no brains. You could have played for Central Zone and India. Instead you are playing a local league match here)

That’s how Srikkanth addressed S Madhavan after congratulating him on his wicket in front of all those who had gathered around the Indian star that day. Srikkanth felt that it was a big mistake on the part of Madhavan to have quit a Railways job that took way an opportunity to continue to play for them in the Ranji Trophy and to figure in the Zonal team. Well over 30 years ago, Srikkanth had felt that had Madhavan continued with the Railways, he would have given himself a great chance to play for India, for he was amongst the wickets in almost every match with his big turning leg breaks and the googlies.

It was a series of letters that led him to his sudden resignation from ICF to join a rather cricket un-fancied RBI. And that spelt death knell for him in terms of growth in his cricket career. As sudden as this decision was also his transformation, a few years earlier, into a leg spinner.

Humble beginnings at Somasundaram Ground

Madhavan belonged to a middle class family. His father was far away from cricket and did not understand even the basics of the game. As was the case in those days, the ‘order’ was to not spend too much time on the cricket field. A student of RKM North, Madhavan spent the evenings at Somasundaram ground watching the nets organized by ‘YSCA’ Gurumurthy. He was already playing for his school as a wicketkeeper batsman along with NP Sridhar (elder brother of NP Madhavan).

Seeing his height and interest in cricket, Gurumurthy asked the young boy to bowl in the ‘cricket ball nets’ (there was also a younger group that played tennis ball but Madhavan was taken straightaway into the cricket ball nets) alongside TA Sekar.

Accidental move into a leg spinner

One of those days, he struck Gurumurthy twice on the arm with fast paced balls leaving him furious at this school boy. Having to strictly follow the directions to bowl a little slow, Madhavan just tried a leg break from a few steps. The ball pitched and turned square beating Gurumurthy all ends up leaving everyone stunned. And there was no looking back since. A new leg spinner had been born that day, in rather accidental circumstances.

So impressed was Gurumurthy that he included Madhavan in the Rising Stars league team within a few months. That was a big boost for the teenager. During that phase, he played three years in a row for TNCA Colts, a very popular team - comprising of the best of league players- that made an annual outstation trip to another city to play a Colts team from another State.

A pleased father

His performances at Guru Nanak College helped him secure a Quasi Governmental job at Food Corporation of India where he played alongside Ramdayani, Jillu Ramesh and ‘Bond’ Venkatasubramaniam. It was during one of those inter zonal matches at FCI that his father came to know of him as a cricketer. After he taken 6 wickets against the East Zone team of FCI, Madhavan led the team back with the ball held in his hand. His father enquired as to why he was coming ahead of all other players and the reason for holding the ball high and showing to all. It was only then that his father knew that his son was a performer on the cricket field though, unfortunately, that was not going to be enough convincing as Madhavan found out a few years later in his life.

Find of the Season at Alwarpet

In 1977, Alwarpet was looking for a wicket keeper batsman. Scouting for talent, VAP and P Mukund turned up at the Somasundaram Ground and were in for a surprise. Instead of the keeper their eyes fell on a big turning leggie whose every ball landed on the spot. At the official trials at the Union ground, it took just 3 balls at the nets for Satwendar Singh to declare him as the ‘Find of the Season’ for the team.

Extraordinary Ranji Debut this month 37 years ago

Impressive performances for Alwarpet especially in the Buchi Babu Tournament led to ICF offering him a clerical post. ICF was also in the first division in that period and he quit FCI. This move opened an unexpected door for him. While the Ranji squad had already been finalized (without much of a formal selection process – the Railways was a huge national institution and selection of players from across the country was always a tedious process), Railways captain Hyder Ali chanced upon Madhavan in the nets and within minutes of watching him bowl wanted him in his team.

It was 37 years ago this week that he debuted in Ranji Trophy. In the very first innings, he had a 5 wicket haul and ended with 8 wickets on his debut against Vidarbha end of November 1981. In a year that Vidarbha won the Ranji Trophy, Madhavan has pleasant memories of that debut against them “I picked 8 wickets against them in my very first match. My captain Hyder Ali was very impressed with my performance and he had a lot of confidence in my abilities.”

“In fact, that season, when I was sleeping on the floor in a curled way in shivering cold, Hyder came up to me and asked if I had had dinner. When I told him, I had Curd rice, he was red with anger. A bowler has to eat better and he dragged me to a restaurant and got me chappatis. He wanted me to be a match winner and took special care of me” says Madhavan of the way the highly respected figure of Hyder Ali took care of this ‘boy’ from Madras.

An Obedient son lets go a Cricket Career

He followed this with a 4 wicket haul in the very next innings and performed creditably in the Ranji Season. He was in contention for the Central Zone team that played the touring English team in January 1982 and given the English team’s struggle against leg spin that season, was considered a certainty for that match. But a dramatic turn of events completely took even Madhavan by surprise. During the period of his star performances in the Ranji Trophy that season, he received a series of postal letters from his father, who retired later from Caltex India.

The content in each of the hand written letters was rather similar. His father wanted him to return to Madras and join RBI. While he knew his father’s lack of interest in cricket, he just could not understand this approach of his father, especially at a time when he was in his best phase of his cricket career. But like an obedient son he put in his papers with the Railways all of a sudden, in the middle of a great season leaving Hyder Ali stunned.  The Ranji Knock out was to soon follow and he was all excited to bowl to Botham and Co in the tour match end of January 1982. But his enthusiasm was killed in the bud and he returned to Madras.

Within a few days, the cricket life turned gloomy. The decision sounded death knell for his growing cricket career. He was at the peak of his prowess. His father was not convinced about prospects in cricket and wanted him to settle down in a secure ’10 to 5’ Bank job. In those days, RBI was considered a high profile institution as compared to other banks.

From taking on Botham on-field to ‘Net Bowler’ for England

By the time England toured India again 3 years later, life had turned a full cycle for Madhavan. He was now asked by the TNCA to be a net bowler for England on a request by the touring team to improve their skills against leg spin (they had struggled against LS in the first two tests of the series). From a leggie who was all excited to challenge Gatting and Botham ‘on the ground’ a few years ago, he was now a net bowler at Chepauk bowling to the same set of batsmen.

Madhavan remembers that day when even David Gower struggled against his googlies in the nets “The English team asked their manager Norman Gifford to check as to ‘I had in my hand that I was weaving such magic on them in the nets’ as their left handers repeatedly were left stranded by my googlies.”

He continued to play for RBI in the first division league in Madras and kept taking lots of wickets every season. But selection in the TN squad remained elusive. He has picked up 8 wickets in an innings on over 10 occasions  and countless five wicket hauls that took his league teams to victory.

Off Spinner NS Ramesh, who joined RBI exactly a month before Madhavan, was an integral part of the team through the 1980s. He says that it was a delight to watch top ranked batsmen with India credentials struggle against him, most times unable to even read him.

Having seen Madhavan’s spell and worried that the Englishmen would be better prepared against LS at Chepauk, the Indian officials that evening asked Madhavan to bowl short and full tosses the next day so as to not get the Englishmen equipped against leg spin. A furious Madhavan refused and walked out of that as well (England amassed a huge total in that test)!!!

Opposition feared the potent spin combination of Sri Krishna and Madhavan and rarely did they get to play on turners.

Ramesh says that Madhavan was easily much better than all of the current day leg spinners ‘PUT TOGETHER’, such was his class “The selectors simply lacked insight and failed to recognise the brilliance of Madhu.”

‘Bond’ Venkatasubramaniam used to keep wickets in the 70s to Madhavan with a piece of stone place on either side of the pitch. He was the one who encouraged Madhavan to bowl the leggies and googlies on a particular spot. So brilliant was Madhavan and so interesting was he with his variations, that we would continue this model for hours together each day of the year, says Venkatasubramaniam looking back at those days before Madhavan became a first division cricketer.

LS 'Promoted' 
Venkatasubramaniam, who kept to the legendary Venkataraghavan for four years at India Pistons, is vocal on how LS was projected and promoted ahead of Madhavan “Immediately after he returned from a successful Ranji season, the TN selectors completely ignored him for they were focused on promoting LS, despite the fact that LS rarely took big wickets in the local league and subsequently even quit bowling.” 

Did not belong to a ‘Big Club’

The scenario that decade (it hasn’t changed much since) was that it was difficult for players from lower ranked team to figure in state squads. In a TNCA Express one day tournament in the 1980s, there were only 11 players in a particular match (Srikkanth and CS Suresh did not play that match). And yet Madhavan was not included and replaced at the last moment in the playing XI by a player who did not find a place in the original squad and who was even present at the ground at the time of the toss.

A frustrated Madhavan walked out on captain TE (Srinivasan) and reached the bank. CB Selvakumar was shocked to see Madhavan in office when his match was on. It was one of those days when Madhavan felt really insulted at the way things were run “Not belonging to a top corporate team proved to be a clear drawback. But I could do little about it. I sought the support of Shri Somasundaram, the then Sports Secretary to get fair treatment for RBI’s players. He was such a gem of a person. He asked me to just keep performing on the field and get selected based on my performance.”

“While I was angry that morning with the sports secretary for being silent in the wake of such injustice, looking back, I feel really happy that he wanted the performance to speak for each player and not support from clubs and secretaries.”

Srikkanth lets him down

In the final of the Buchi Babu tournament played on a turner at Chepauk, Captain Srikkanth once again overlooked Madhavan, when it would have been ideal to have played him. This despite all his talk of Madhavan being one with potential to play for India. These left a bitter taste on Madhavan.  TA Sekar, with whom Madhavan bowled at the nets at the Somasundaram ground as a teenager, says that if Madhavan had played for a big team in the first division league, he may have had a better chance to get into the State team. 

In those days, given the batting strength of RBI, it was not always that the bank team bowled twice in a league match, especially against top teams.

ICC Elite Panel Umpire S Ravi who has known Madhavan from the days at Somasundaram Ground and who has seen him very closely says that Madhavan never missed a single practice session and that he would bowl long spells at the nets trying a lot of variations that then reflected during his spells in matches “While both as a person and a cricketer he was always confident and had lot of self belief and should have definitely played higher level, in sports, it is important to be at the right place at the right time. And maybe he was not.”

One of the Best Leggies 

Former Ranji Trophy winning captain S Vasudevan, who was with Alwarpet when Madhavan joined the team in the late 1970s rates him as one of the best leggies he has seen and calls it ‘unfortunate’ that he did not get to play for the state.

It was not a phase when youngsters overruled their parents, especially in matters relating to career. In Madhavan’s case, he simply accepted the directions of his father and quit Railways right in the middle of a successful debut season to join RBI, leaving by the way side his cricket career. With Venkat and Vasudevan still an integral part of the TN team and with LS the rising star of TN cricket and the 'boy' that TNCA backed, it was always going to be an uphill task for Madhavan to breakthrough into the team. He remained hopeful through the decade but the opportunity remained elusive and forever it was a distant dream for Madhavan.

No regrets with RBI
He, however, does not regret taking the ‘father’s call’ to move to RBI. The team had a terrific spin attack and he enjoyed bowling out stronger opposition time and again in the TNCA first division league. He forged great long term friendship with a number of teammates. He has been able to develop his interest in singing and now presents light music concerts.

But when it came to cricket and opportunities in Tamil Nadu, while there was all round appreciation of his talent including from the likes of Srikkanth, when it finally came to the Selection process, they give his name a miss when he was at his peak in the 1980s.

A Five Wicket haul at 63!!!!  Close to 5 decades in the TNCA league

This year marks the 47^th year of his non-stop presence in the TNCA league having begun in 1972-73. No player in the history of the league would have played this long with the passion he has displayed over such almost five decades. Aged 63, he recently grabbed the headline with a 5 wicket haul in the league. His hand and shoulder have become weaker with age and the ball is a lot slower in the air but he still manages to produce the big turning leg break and the googly to fox the young batsmen. He continues to turn up at the ground at 8.15 am on the day of the league match much ahead of all other players in the team and bowls with the mind of a young boy wanting to beat the batsman and get his wicket leaving both his own teammates as well as the opposition dumbfounded at his eagerness to take wickets.

It is unlikely he will retire anytime soon and only an age clause can get anyone to keep the red cherry away from Madhavan.