K Barathan Railways BCCI Umpire

He quit Sanmar Group after just one season to rejoin Railways and went on to play Ranji Cricket for a decade

In 1992, he started the season with a century and 11wickets playing on one leg but failed to rise to the next level

“He was very helpful and backed me completely in my first year in Ranji” – Karnataka Coach Yere Gowd who made his Ranji debut under Barathan’s captaincy

Between 1979 and 82, two spinners, M Santosh Kumar (IOB Santosh) and S Madhavan (RBI Leggie) quit their respective jobs in the Railways to join Banks in Madras letting go of opportunities to play Ranji Trophy in the Central Zone. In 1985, another spinner who could hold his own as a batsman joined the Railways but his quitting the very next year seemed to lead him in the footsteps of his predecessors. A year later, after a good season with Jolly Rovers, he was forced to rejoin the Railways. His appa, who retired as a station master in Mambalam, felt that a Government job would offer long term security. As luck would have it, the Railways reached the final of the Ranji Trophy in his very first year and he went on to play for a decade, something his senior spinners from Madras had missed. Here’s the story.

Another YSCA Guru product

K Barathan joined the Guru team (YSCA Gurumurthy) at the Somasundaram ground as a 6 year old. As with most boys in the group, he too would wake up early at 5am to be among the first at the ground to get extra batting that was on offer for the first comers. He started off as a wicket keeper to the outswingers of Gurumurthy. After Guru finished his spell, Barathan turned his arm over with his off spinners “While I always saw myself as a batsman, it was my teammates who motivated me into bowling as they liked my action” says Barathan looking back on those early years in the 1970s at the Somasundaram ground.

For almost two decades, a lot of his cricketing time including chats with friends was at the Somasundaram ground.

Grand Prix- The Turning Point

He played for TFUCC and UFCC T Nagar, both Guru managed teams in the TNCA league but the turning point in his cricket career came in 1984 when he moved to Grand Prix in the first division. Encouraged by Mukund and provided enough opportunities by captain PS Raman, Barathan had an outstanding season topping 600 runs in the league. By this time, he had captained the Pachaiappas college team for a couple of years.

"I had offers pouring in from Indian Bank, IOB and SPIC but my appa’s experience in the decades preceding in the Indian Railways turned the decision towards the Central Government job."

A century under Bharath Reddy's watchful eyes

That year, he hit a career best 170 against Jolly Rovers, watched by Bharath Reddy, who roped him in the next season. While Barathan had another great season, (un)fortunately his century against the Railways for Jolly Rovers turned his life around. Narasimhan, who later went on to become the GM at the Railways, saw him score that century and immediately asked for Barathan to return to the Railways or pay a huge compensation as per the exit clause.

“Coming from a middle class, we did not have money to pay up. In any case, my appa was keen on a Govt job for he thought it was better than the then uncertainty for cricketers in a private firm” says Barathan on his decision to quit Sanmar Group after a year.

Features in the Ranji Final

While he had been in the TN Ranji squad in the year he played for Jolly Rovers, his move to the Railways meant he featured in the Ranji final in his very first year. He had made a good early start to that season with half centuries in successive matches including picking up three wickets and scoring a fifty on debut. While he bowled a marathon spell in the final, the match itself was largely a forgettable one for the Railways.

One of his closest friends in the Railways was Ranjit Khanwilkar “We played together in my debut year for Railways. He would wake up at 4am, walk for an hour and was a voracious reader.  He was awesome talent. I had hoped to play together with him for a long time but unfortunately he passed soon after I met him at the YSCA match in the 1st week of June at the RKM ground.”

He also began his coaching stint in those early years coaching the Railway cricketers at the Somasundaram ground. "I always liked coaching as it gave one the opportunity to produce future cricketers."

His Best Season 

After a few quiet years, Barathan came into his own and was at his best in the 92-93 season. He counts his 11 wickets and 107 against Rajasthan in chilly conditions in Jaipur as the best match in his life especially as the performance came on the back of a big injury. He had injured himself a day ahead of this Ranji match in practice when a yorker in the nets left his left ankle swollen. 

He looks back at the contribution of his teammate on the eve of the match “Yashpal (Sharma) who played for a year as a guest was keen on me playing the season opener. My roommate Srikant Karge applied ice through the night without sleeping even for a minute to help me get fit. In the morning at 6am, he woke me up to ‘test walk’. I wore Durga Prasad’s size 12 shoe on one foot and my own size in the other.”

Batting on one leg 

“While I was happy about some additional rest after we won the toss and batted on the first morning, the top order was knocked over quickly before lunch. And that meant I was in earlier than I had expected. I batted on almost one foot through that entire innings and without a runner to score that century.”

Barathan followed his batting performance with a 7 wicket haul that forced Rajasthan to follow on. He was back again on the field to capture four more wickets for a match haul of 11 wickets. “I was lifted by all the players at the end of the match. Yashpal (Sharma) was particularly pleased with my determination.”

After that performance, he was on a high and felt he could be in line for a national call up. Word spread that it was between him and Gyanendra Pandey but he was not to make it. He says that it was the closest he thought he came to going up the cricketing ladder.

Current Karnataka coach Yere Goud, who played well over a 100 first class matches made his debut for the Railways under Barathan’s captaincy. The two shared an unbroken century partnership in that match. “He was my captain when I made my debut for Railways against MP at Gwalior. He could hold his own either as a pure batsman or as an off spinner. He had great skills in both departments with natural flair and was outstanding fielder in close in and outfield. He was always helpful and backed me completely.”

UR Radhakrishnan (UR) who joined the Railways after starting out at SVPB Udumalpet played together with Barathan in the few years that he was there “He was a fantastic all round cricketer and an asset to the team. He could bat and bowl and field anywhere.” 

Right at the end of his Ranji career, he picked up six wickets to help the Railways to a win in the knock out match.

Returns to Ranji Cricket as an Umpire

A decade after hanging up his boots, Barathan returned to Ranji cricket as an umpire. When he was in the last year of eligibility the Railways did not recommend him. Barathan recalls the great gesture from his teammate that helped become an umpire "I had reached my cut off year and the Railways did not recommend my name. Arvind Kapoor sacrificed his place and handed a NOC for me to take the exam. It was his great gesture that allowed me to become a BCCI umpire.”

Over the next decade he went on to officiate in the IPL. Among the highlights was officiating in Sachin’s last match, one that he considers a most memorable experience. Another big moment for him was WI legend Viv Richards, then consultant with DDR, coming up to him and asking for permission to inspect the pitch ahead of an IPL match.

His decision, albeit a forced one, to join the Railways a second time in 1987 led him to play close to 50 first class matches. He was also the first one from Madras to captain the Indian Railways in Ranji Trophy cricket, an achievement he is quite proud of. His experience in first class cricket also made way for an entry into Umpiring, one that he enjoyed for a decade. The new age extension up to 65 has given him a new lease of life especially when he is going to retire from the Railways after 35years.

Barathan is now looking forward to another go in Umpiring. One hopes that like his second stint in the Railways, this one too will be successful one.