TN Opener KR Rajagopal passes away

Seven months after his ‘best friend’ N Sankar passed away and a day ahead of Sankar’s birthday, the TN batting legend breathed his last on Friday morning 

It was a tame end on Friday morning to one of Tamil Nadu’s greatest opening batsman, KR Rajagopal. Once swarmed by thousands of fans where ever he played, his final years were quite lonely. His health had taken a drastic downturn after the passing away of his wife and he had become almost unrecognizable from the  man who had cheerfully attended Jolly Rovers' 50 years event in Madras. In the last 18months, he missed people around him, especially his family members. A very close friend of his at India Cements Baradwaj (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2021/12/bharadwaj-k-jolly-rovers-india-cements.html) who was great mental support during the Pandemic times too passed away in December last year. The attender provided by his best friend in life Sanmar Group Chairman N Sanmar was a great relief for his presence meant he had someone to talk to when needed and also one who could take him to the hospital on multiple days in a week for dialysis.

At 3.30pm on Sunday April 17 this year, when this writer called KR Rajagopal to inform about the passing away of N Sankar, he was inconsolable. He was in tears throughout the call. In the months that passed since, in every phone call this writer had with him, he recalled the great contribution of Sankar to cricket and the motivation his presence served personally to him as a batsman (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2020/11/jolly-rovers-n-sankar-75.html).

Vijay Sankar (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2022/05/vijay-sankar-jolly-rovers-takes-over.html), who continued the supported extended to KRR after the passing away of his appa, told this writer on Saturday morning that Rajagopal would call his appa every year on his birthday to wish him and the two of them would jointly recall the golden years of cricket from the late 1960s. With the passing away of Sankar this year, Rajagopal probably would have missed that morning call on November 19, the birthday of Sankar and passed away a day in advance, such was their great friendship!!!

The dashing wicket keeper bat could not stand the passing away of Sankar earlier this year and probably wanted to join the man, who transformed his life in the late 1960s, in heaven.

Rajagopal told this writer last year in a conversation at his home in Banashankari in Bangalore where he lived alone the ‘fanatic’ interest of KS Narayanan and N Sankar in promoting cricket and cricketers in Madras “As you know, Marina had a very small pavilion. Unmindful of that, both KSN and Sankar sat there next to the players and motivated us through the match. The top management presence was a big boost to us and we wanted to give it our best in front of them. When the crowd almost chased us in anger and began pelting stones, the two of them organised cars for all the players and ensured that each one of us were dropped home. It was just an amazing gesture. They were totally thrilled when we won the final beating a strong State Bank side.”

When Rajagopal moved to Madras in 1966, he set the city grounds ablaze with his dashing stroke play for Jolly Rovers and Tamil Nadu. 1967 was the year when N Sankar returned to Madras from the US and his presence at the ground had a big positive impact on Rajagopal. He was at his explosive best that season as he tore apart every single bowling attack that came his way. He began with two Ranji Trophy centuries and followed it up with a match winning fourth innings knock against Mysore against two top bowlers. Picked in the South Zone team for the Duleep Trophy, he struck two half centuries against Central Zone.  He was also included in the Rest of India team for the Irani Trophy match but politics led to his exclusion from India's tour to Australia that crushed his confidence.

Till the very end, this year, in telephonic conversations with this writer he recalled the greatness of Sankar and his unforgettable trips to Bangalore and Bombay “Sankar was so passionate about the game. Every time I struck a four and would see him in the stands, I would see a sparkle in his eyes. It was truly inspirational and spurred me further. It was unthinkable in the 1960s for a corporate chief to travel to  Bangalore and Bombay  to just watch me bat.”

A Delight to the Fans

Co-incidentally a six decades long devotee of Lord Kapaleeswarar and Karpagambal, Dhaadi Chandrasekar, who worked in Foundry Chemicals at MNC Foseco India, only this week recalled to this writer at the Kapali temple as to how as a school boy he would rush to the Marina and Chepauk early in the morning to watch Rajagopal bat “He provided such happiness to me and thousands of fans with his fearless batting display. Big names did not bother him. If the ball was there to be hit, he would send it thudding into the fence sending the crowd into rapturous delight. What also still remains fresh in my memory is the way he kept to Kalyanasundaram removing the bails in a flash when the batsman just lifted his foot. He was a unique wicket keeper and unmatched in those times.”

He says that 55years after he came to Madras he remains 'my top most favourite cricketer and wicket keeper. I have not seen that wicket keeping ability even in Thalaiva Dhoni."

"Forever, I will cherish memories of his attacking batsmanship and wicket keeping."

"Raja Sir You will be in my heart for ever."

Felicitated in 2021 at Chepauk

Last month, the then Secretary of the TNCA RS Ramaswamy recalled  to this writer Rajagopal as a one of a kind batsman who he was inspirational to him during his school days at Salem. It was Ramaswamy as the Secretary who welcomed Rajagopal on August 10 last year when he was felicitated on the finals day of the TNPL. Former President of the TNCA who too had watched Rajagopal play in the late 1960s extended a big hug at Chepauk that evening in memory of the several memorable knocks at that ground. Rajagopal felt happy that evening meeting some of his old friends like SVS Mani ( https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2020/07/svs-mani-cricketer-selector-coach.html) and R Prabhakar as they cracked jokes and had a hearty laugh ahead of the event pulling each other's legs.

Cricketer P Mukund provides the lone hand

In the last 18 months of Rajagopal’s life, TN cricketer from the 1970s P Mukund was the one who provided the greatest support to him outside of the personal assistant provided by Sankar. Rajagopal often expressed to this writer his gratitude for Mukund for visiting him frequently at his home and spending his valuable personal time with him. "Mukund's presence has given me great confidence. We would discuss some of the old matches that would take my mind away from the physical suffering", Rajagopal told this writer in those phone calls.

Tore apart Surendranath in 1968

Out of all the great innings that he watched Rajagopal play, Sankar recalled to this writer with special fondness the treatment meted out to the Services great Surendranath in the semi-final played at Chepauk in the first week of February 1968 "Services' Surendranath was a former Test player who had performed well for India but to Raja names simply did not matter. When he came on to bowl with the new ball, Raja, much to Surendranath's shock, came down the pitch and belted him away. I still remember Surendranath standing in mid pitch and staring at Raja. It is unlikely anyone would have treated Surendranath the way Raja did that day."

The great delight that Rajagopal provided to teammates and fans alike during this playing days will remained etched in memory forever.

Sadashiv Iyer Vidarbha Ranji BCCI Umpire

'Gangaikondan' cricketer now aims big in Umpiring

A football and hockey goal keeper in his school days, he chose to follow in his appa’s footsteps and became a wicket keeper. With not much facilities in Nagpur, he moved to Bombay for summer coaching that proved transformational.  He came back a better player and was soon picked in the Vidarbha Ranji squad. In his very first match, he starred with two knocks that brought him into immediate limelight. In the summer of 1995, he shone with the bat in the YSCA tournament in Madras and was spotted by Dr. Natarajan and picked by India Cements that was making its way back into first division cricket in a big way that decade. He played over 20 Ranji matches for Vidarbha and shone for India Cements for a decade. Soon after retirement, he joined Madanagopal and Ananthapadmanabhan as BCCI umpires. On his appa's 78th birthday this year, he made his umpiring debut in IPL 16years after turning an umpire and now has hopes of making it big in Umpiring. Here’s the story.

From Gangaikondan to Nagpur

The forefathers of GR Sadashiv Iyer (Saddy to his teammates) hailed from Gangaikondan near Tirunelveli. His Grandfather moved to away from his home pre independence to Burma and later retired as depot in charge of India Super Tyre in Nagpur. As a young school boy, Sadashiv Iyer would accompany his grandfather to watch the net practice sessions of RBI Nagpur for whom his appa Ramasubramanian played. His early interest though was not in cricket but Football and Hockey. In both these sports, he was a goal keeper. It was only when he played in intra school matches that he captured the attention of the school’s Physical Trainer who roped him into the school team but he did not play much of junior age group cricket for Vidarbha. He did do well for GS college in the inter college tourney and played University cricket for Nagpur. 

His interest during his college days led him to ask his appa to take him to Bombay for summer coaching so he could play on turf wickets and improve his game. Sadashiv recalls that summer of 1990 in Bombay “There were only matting wickets in Nagpur and I wanted to practice on Turf. My transformation in cricket happened when I came under the tutorship of Anna Vaidhya in Bombay. I practiced hard under him for three months that summer and returned to Nagpur a more confident cricketer.”

The next summer was a big leap in cricket as he got the opportunity to play in the Kanga league qualifier. He scored a century in just over 20overs in a 50 over match and his coach’s reaction at the end of the day’s play was an eye opener. Sadashiv Iyer recalls the great lesson he learned from his coach that day “Though I helped the team win, my coach did not say one positive word. Instead he expressed unhappiness at me getting out before the half way mark and missing out on a double century. It was an eye opener. Those in Bombay always focused on converting starts into big hundreds. I realized that day that it was not enough to just play to the gallery.”

Ranji Debut- A boundary of his first ball

In 1992, he scored around 1000 runs in the local league. Following that he scored big in the Bapuna Cup, the selection tourney for Ranji Trophy and was the 2nd highest run getter. His performances led to his selection in the Ranji squad at the start of the 1993-94 season. He had a great start to his Ranji career helping Vidarbha stave off defeat against UP. He recalls the great gesture from his teammate on the morning of the match “The bat with which I scored all those runs to gain entry into Ranji Trophy broke in practice on the eve of my debut. I was almost in tears when my team mate Manish Doshi (who later captained Vidarbha) handed his Vampire bat for me to use. It is those moments in life that remind you of true friends in life”

Sadashiv straight drove his first ball in Ranji cricket off the then India prospect AW Zaidi for four. After scoring 40 in the first innings, he played a match saving innings of 89 in the second (innings) batting for almost a day, remembering the advice of Anna Vaidhya to not give away his wicket easily  “It immediately brought me into limelight as a batsman who could smash the ball at the start of the innings and also played a long innings.”

Ranji Cricketers in the early 1990s!!!

Cricket was so different in that early phase in Ranji, something that would be difficult for the new gen to visualize “All the Ranji team members in the early 1990s slept near the toilet in an unreserved compartment in train while travelling for a Ranji match. For another match we travelled by bus to Indore. These trips provided great bonding opportunities within the squad and we became a stronger unit and played for each other” recalls Saddy of his early Ranji days.

Dr Natarajan spots him 

A year later, when he played in the Paradip tourney for JN Port Trust, the Chennai Port Trust were impressed with his batting display and offered him a job in Chennai. That summer in the YSCA Trophy tournament, playing for Chennai Port Trust, he scored close to 200 runs in four matches. The innings that turnaround his cricketing career was the match against India Cements. Facing the then TN fast bowlers Gokulakrishnan and Devanand, he scored 40 at the start of the innings “Dr. Natarajan watched me bat and asked if I could join them. It had been only a month since I had joined the Chennai Port Trust but I could simply not refuse this irresistible offer from India Cements.”

VBC's Mentoring

Saddy credits the late VB Chandrasekar (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2016/01/vb-chandrasekar.html) for having a great positive impact on his batting “VBC was terrific on the finer aspects of batting. From my grip to the stance, he made minor adjustments that helped me a great deal. I also learned the never say die attitude from him. It was a golden period for me in cricket playing alongside Gokulakrishnan, S Suresh and other teammates at India Cements. Through that decade, we always fought till the very end in every match. One of the best memories of my stint has been the great friendship I have forged with many of my teammates from that phase.”

Former TN and Goa all rounder Gokulakrishnan (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2017/03/gokulakrishnan-j.html) says that though Saddy played all his early competitive cricket in the Central Zone he adapted well to the TN ecosystem and mingled well with all the teammates. "He was a talented batsman and an effective wicket keeper and he was a good contributor to India Cements. A special feature of Saddy is that he has been blessed with a helping tendency."

'ATG' S Sharath (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2020/12/sharath-s-tn-crickets-atg.html) who played first division cricket alongside Sadashiv Iyer at the turn of the century after he joined India Cements endorses Gokul's view "While he was a stroke filled batsman who always looked for runs and made useful contributions for India Cements, a standout feature of Iyer is his helpful nature. An hyperactive guy who does not sit in one place, he is always looking to help people out of the way."

In his early days in Madras, he missed the North India food that he had grown up with and would often go to the Gujarati Mandal in Parrys Corner to get a taste of the food back home. His other favourite hangout was the now non existent Bombay Halwa House opposite Vidya Mandir School.

Fails to make the Zonal leap

After spending the summer and early part of the 1st division league season in Madras, he would go back to Nagpur for the Ranji Trophy matches every year through the second half of the1990s. He recalls as to how he just missed making it to the next phase in cricket “After my first season in Ranji cricket, I was in the stand by in Duleep Trophy for Central Zone but did not get into the squad. Had I played Zonal cricket that year when I was in top form, my cricket may have taken a different turn but it was not to be. By the third year, I came to be positioned as a one day specialist."

A Keeping Record

In January 1995, against MP in Bhilai, he created a one day record of six dismissals as a wicket keeper including five stumpings. End of 1997, he created another keeping record in Ranji cricket with seven catches in one innings against UP in Allahabad. He looks back with a great deal of satisfaction about these two achievements. With the team looking to him for good starts in one day cricket, Sadashiv'a attention turned to the 50over format in the 2nd half of the 1990s and he answered them with some terrific one day knocks . One of Sadashiv's best innings in domestic one day cricket came in the match against Chandrakant Pandit’s MP when his rollicking half century helped chase out a big target.

Former TN Ranji captain and opening batsman S Suresh (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2020/11/sweety-s-suresh-tn-ranji-finals-captain.html) was Sadashiv's captain at India Cements and the two played a number of matches together opening the batting. He recalls Saddy as an attacking batsman and a very agile wicket keeper. 

Kerala leg spinner from the 1990s and now an international umpire KN Ananthapadmanabhan 

(https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2016/09/ananthapadmanabhan-kn.html) played against Sadashiv through that phase “He was a busy batsman and scored runs in crunch situations and at a brisk pace. He was a very safe wicket keeper who worked hard on his fitness.”

He played close to 25 matches for Vidarbha. He wanted to continue to be associated with the game and having watched the game closely for a decade as a first class cricketer, he felt that umpiring would give an opportunity to watch top players in action. Along with Ranji cricketers KN Ananthapadmanabhan and JR Madanagopal, he took to umpiring in 2006 and has been officiating now for 16years.

His Biggest moment in Cricket

On April 15 this year, on the occasion of his appa’s 78th birthday, he made his on-field umpiring debut in IPL “My appa encouraged me a lot in my sporting activities right from my childhood. It was the best gift I could give him on his birthday. He was all charged up watching me take the field in an IPL match. I realized the global impact of IPL when all my school mates now spread all over the world watched the match and sent me messages. IPL helped me connect with school friends after almost four decades”, he says with great delight.

It has also given him an opportunity to mingle with the legends of Indian cricket as well as the best of the Indian and Overseas players.

He had received an offer from the Railways soon after he graduated in the 1990s but he did not take it up. He looks back at his engagement with India Cements with great pride. "I may have been a class IV staffer in the Railways but having decided to take the job at India Cements, it has been a dream run in the last 27 years for they have taken care of me in a way I could not have visualized especially for someone who left his hometown as a 23year old.”

Wife's Support

Since the time he became an umpire, he has been travelling extensively across the country. It was the time his wife quit her financial services job sacrificing her corporate career growth to take care of the family. It is something Sadashiv says he is indebted to "My wife has had a big role in my progress as an umpire. She has ensured the family is taken care of back home in Chennai leaving my mind free to focus on umpiring." 

Third Gen Wicket Keeper

Sadashiv's son, Sarthak, too has taken to cricket and wicket keeping. "One of the first things he asked for as a child was wicket keeping gloves. He has developed big interest in keeping and is always seen with the gloves" says Sadashiv.

Appa's Message

He had to wait for a long time to make his IPL debut. When the IPL opportunity did not come easy, he remembered the message from his appa that he had handed out when Sadhashiv was a young boy 'Hard work will never go waste. It will be recognized for sure in your lifetime' is what he told me. 

Sadashiv says that all times, especially during the challenging ones, he follows this message of his appa "I always stick to processes and look to give my best in everything I do with the belief that recognition will come my way when it has to.”

Ananthapadmanabhan who has been an umpire in the IPL for a few years says that Sadashiv Iyer is an excellent umpire and a good team man to have on field.

JR Madanagopal (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2016/10/madanagopal-j.html) has been umpiring BCCI matches alongside Sadashiv over the last 15years. The two also played for a third division team together and helped in its promotion to the second. Madan says Sadashiv is a great team mate, very helpful and a friendly and warm personality.

Umpiring Goals

Sadashiv Iyer has set for himself some interesting goals in umpiring - to umpire in one new venue every year, to do a few games every season with a new partner and to officiate in a match in North India in freezing conditions in Dec- Jan.

He had quite a satisfying career as a player both for Vidarbha and India Cements at the club level. Having now experienced IPL as an umpire, Sadashiv Iyer is looking forward to scaling greater heights in his second innings in cricket in the years to come.

Sriram Krishnamurthy Head Coach Super Kings Academy

A Decade after - His Passionate Chennai Cricket Dream comes true

The 36 year old High Performance Coach will return to his home state in January after quitting his coaching role at Northern Districts

Sriram was responsible for the emergence of Devon Conway and Rachin Ravindra 

Exactly a decade ago this section featured a story on the opportunity for the ruling management at the TNCA to grab the services of Sriram Krishnamurthy, then a young 26 year old high performance coach who was passionate about TN cricket and wanted to make a difference here (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2012/05/high-performance-coaching-is-tnca.html?m=1).  His services were not sought then and with a tinge of sadness, he went around the cricketing world coaching in Australia, England and New Zealand for 10 years. In June this year, this section featured a story just ahead of the TNPL on how success with the Madurai team could elicit interest in TN and get him back to his home state that he has all along been longing for. In the league phase that he was here just ahead of the New Zealand pre-season practice, he helped the Madurai team win all at sight in the TNPL with the team racing through to the knock outs (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2022/06/sriram-krishnamurthy-high-performance.html). He headed back to the Kiwi land just ahead of the knock out phase. And soon he had the Super Kings Academy knocking on his doors. Very quickly, Sriram's coaching model resonated well with George John, the operations head at Super Kings Academy responsible for its expansion and they( the academy) did not have to look too far and have signed him up. Sriram has just been appointed as the Head Coach of Super Kings Academy, a coveted role especially with the academy planning mega national expansion over the next five years (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2022/10/super-kings-academy-mega-expansion-plans.html).

Sriram will be responsible for establishing a consistent cricket program, leading and mentoring the coaches at the Super Kings Academy. He is particularly pleased with the fact that the academy is handing him a free reign “They literally said it's your baby - which is exciting  to have that kind of freedom in coaching. At the same time, it puts a lot of responsibility on me” Sriram told this writer from Hamilton. Even in 2012, Sriram had looked at coaching as one of responsibility and not  of power.

When the TNCA did not elicit interest in his services a decade ago, Sriram went to Australia and coached teams at the state level in Victoria and South Australia. On the invitation of The English and Wales Cricket Board, he was involved in a High Performance Coaching related work ahead of the 2010-11 Ashes. In 2015, he moved to New Zealand starting out as the U19 coach at Cricket Wellington and five years later became the batting coach of the Wellington Firebirds, one of the six first class teams in the country. At Wellington, Sriram had played a key role in the transformation of Devon Conway and Rachin Ravindra into international cricketers. In recent years, as the coach of Northern Districts, he has been working with the Who's Who of NZ cricket including Williamson, Southee, Boult, Sodhi, Wagner, De Grandhomme and Santner.

Grateful to New Zealand Cricket

Only recently, Sriram had been offered the prestigious coaching role of the New Zealand’s National Women’s team but he did not take it up. While he was well settled in the Kiwi Land, his heart had always been in Madras and in every conversation with this writer over the last decade, he had expressed interest to return to Madras and make a difference to TN cricket. With his long overseas stint coming to an end in a couple of months, Sriram looks back with great delight on his engagement with the Kiwis "By nature, the  Kiwis are very kind. To me, they  have been a very helpful lot. When I was looking for financial stability, Cricket Wellington directed me to Taita CC as an additional engagement that served me well and kept me going in those initial years. Dave (Gillespie) immediately got my wife a job soon after her arrival in New Zealand. And that made a big difference to our lives on the financial front. My engagement with Rachin and Devon has been like one of family and we constantly discussed cricket and ways to improve."

Composed Individual and A Captain's Delight

International umpire Madanagopal led Grand Slam to a surprise first division championship with Sriram playing an important role in the middle order that year. Madan was the one who gave Sriram the 1st division break well over a decade ago. He has high words of praise for Sriram’s team spirit “I found Sriram to be a remarkable team man. He was hard working, committed and had a positive impact on players and people around him. What was particularly impressive of him in that phase was that he was a very composed individual and a captain’s delight."

Madan says that he is confident that Sriram will now be a player’s delight as a coach. "He strongly believes in understanding the player and his requirements and gives his best in helping and facilitating that to help the player to achieve his true potential."

A sparkling innocence about Sriram

In a competitive world where one finds 'win at all cost' approach from many of the modern day cricketers, Sriram has a certain old world charm about him and a bit of sparkling innocence that one does not find enough these days. RBI middle order bat and off spinner from the 1980s NS Ramesh has known Sriram from his childhood days as his amma was a colleague at RBI. He is happy that Sriram has been able to maintain that innocence within him “Sriram has always been a very sweet chap with a streak of innocence. Like his mother, Sriram is sincere in whatever he does.”

'Good at Heart', Genuine and Honest Guy

Sriram helped former first division cricketer turned coach Guru Kedarnath find his feet in Australia just under a decade ago. Kedar recalls Sriram from the school days “we played against each other in the schools tourneys and together for city at the age group level. It was when he coached us at Aruna CC that I came to know him well. The most standout feature in him is that he is genuine and honest in his engagement.”

“When Precision pulled out of cricket sponsorship, I was in a fix on ‘what next’ in my career. It was Sriram who went out of his way and helped with a coaching engagement in Australia. My initiation into coaching was through him and I had an enjoyable four summers there. I have always looked up to him for his insights on coaching.”

"He is very practical and clear in his thought process. Most importantly, he is good at heart, a quality that is ingrained in him."

Excited to be back

Sriram will be reaching Madras in January and starting mid Jan will get down to try and make a difference to the next generation of cricketers. He told this writer on Saturday morning (Kiwi time) that he is excited with the prospect of coaching in Madras "I am excited with this opportunity that India Cements has provided me but this is also a huge responsibility.  While this can give me a good break from coaching elite teams and having had to deal with the constant stress and pressure of winning and losing matches (performance), it is an even bigger responsibility now - as this role gives me the ability to influence and shape the way the academy can function, putting and taking an approach where there is balance in these young kids lives, making them understand how to get the best out of themselves not just within cricket, but beyond it."

 "To come back to my home state and get this opportunity to develop young cricketers is another of way of realising my passion, which is to see a strong Tamil Nadu team in domestic cricket."

Having known him for over a decade, it would not be a surprise if he creates the next Conways and Ravindras of TN cricket in the coming years.

This section wishes him the Best in his comeback stint in Madras.

Ashok Sigamani TNCA President

The soft spoken 'No-Nonsense' Doctor from Villupuram is serious about his role at the TNCA and sees himself making a significant contribution to TN Cricket in the next three years

Improving Cricket Infrastructure, Developing cricket in the Districts will be top priority; Will be open to constructive criticisms and 'Cricketing Growth' ideas from anyone – Ashok Sigamani

In 1989, a young 13year old boy from Villupuram took YMCA (Nandanam) by storm. In the summer camp, he emerged as the best all rounder. As an opening batsman, he sent the ball out of the ground every time play was called. He had grown up in the open rough fields of Villupuram playing Cork ball cricket against opening bowlers who were real quick and awkward to face. From those early days, he has always been fearless be it on the cricket field or outside. Beneath the soft spoken demeanour is a tough personality who always speaks his mind. A teammate of this writer, he had his cricketing lessons at YMCA TSR (Advocate TS Ramaswamy) and made waves at the club. He smashed centuries at the schools tournaments and made his way into the U16 state but his amma took a serious academics call and led him back to Villupuram much against his wishes so he could get into Medicine.  Three decades later, the doctor from Villupuram is now at the helm of affairs at the TNCA and is confident of making a significant contribution to cricket development in the state. Here's the story.

Cork Ball cricket in Villupuram

Ashok Sigamani spent his first dozen years in hometown in Villupuram playing volleyball and a lot of cork ball and rubber ball cricket.  He lived in a big joint family that was full of doctors (there are over 40 of them now). The message from his appa Ponmudi, who himself has a Triple MA and a P.hd, was for him to focus on education though he did encourage sports. Ashok Sigamani looks back at his early initiation into sports “My appa was a good ball badminton player and I used to go with him to watch him play. I was also into Volley ball which was popular in Villupuram in those days. The fearless approach in my cricket was ignited while playing cork ball cricket and having to face some real quick bowlers like Murugesan (they called him Patrick Patterson of Villupuram) without gloves and pads. Even as a 10year old, I took on the college fast ball bowlers in Villupuram and struck them boldly.”

Appa's Minister role gets Ashok into Madras and serious cricket

Ponmudi had a special liking for history and taught the subject in Villupuram. When he had to contest the elections, he quit the teaching job at the Government Arts College, won the election and immediately landed the post of the health minister. This prompted the move to Madras in 1989 and transformed Ashok Sigamani into a dashing opener. That summer, his grandfather, a retired head master from Villupuram, put him in the summer camp at YMCA run by Santhanam. His transition from Brown ball to Red Ball was swift. He made a lasting impression taking YMCA by storm. While Mujib (Gandhinagar Starlets) was hitting out in the YMCA B Ground, Ashok Sigamani sent the opposition bowlers out of  sight with hits that went out of the stadium. In the practice matches, he emerged as the highest run getter and picked up the best all-rounder award (he opened the batting and bowling in those early days). 

Soon advocate TS Ramaswamy (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2021/08/advocate-ts-ramaswamy90.html) who was passionate about cricket and had a special eye in spotting talent picked up Ashok for the YMCA TSR Club at the end of that summer camp. And he had three successful years in cricket. All his life TSR liked cricketers who had a strong mind and were fearless. He would often remark to the budding cricketers to not fear the opposition based on the big names that they possessed and the fearless approach of Ashok kindled his special interest in the 13year old boy. TSR is now 91 years old but his memory of Ashok Sigamani is razor sharp "He did not care who the opposition was. He had a strong and clear mind. Even in those days, he played shots like T20 matches. If the ball was there to be hit, he would hit the first ball out of the ground. He played bold shots in those days that Suryakumar Yadav plays now.”

Becomes a Wicket Keeper

When a regular keeper was injured at the U13 selection trials, former state wicket keeper T Doraiappan handed him the gloves as a standby "When he saw me keep for about 20overs, he was impressed and signed me up immediately for his league team (Nungambakkam) in the 5th division as a wicket keeper. And with that I became a wicket keeper batsman.”

Always Smiling and Warm

Ashok Sigamani scored three centuries in the schools tournament and he was soon drafted into the u16 State side alongside Hemang Badani. The former India Cricketer remembers Ashok as a good striker of the ball and a very 'effervescent' kid "The thing that stood out to me was that even as a teenager, he was always smiling and warm.' 

At the YMCA TSR Club, he opened with S Badrinath in the All India Canopy tournament in Bangalore with both batting in completely contrasting styles “I would smash a half century in 25balls and get out while Badri (he carried this patience into Ranji cricket) would bat through the innings in a rock solid manner.”

"I took a lot of inspiration from YMCA TSR Seniors winning the national tournament in Bangalore and we juniors went on to win the tourney soon after. Those years at YMCA TSR were the best moments of my cricketing life. It was thoroughly enjoyable with TSR being a real motivational spirit. Even after I became the President, the immediate message from both my amma and appa was to seek the blessings of TSR for he was the one who made me the cricketer I was.”

TS Ramaswamy is delighted that the teenager who started his cricket at his club is now donning the prestigious role of the President at a reputed cricket association in the country. remembers his knocks in Bangalore "It was over 30 years ago. His amma came to me on the eve of the Bangalore Canopy tournament and asked me to take care of him. She was not aware of what a 'cricketing man' he already was. He was not yet 16 and yet one of the sixers landed on the road that left the opposition stunned. When the typical message of the time was to see off the new ball and let the ball go to the keeper, Ashok played without inhibition and put the opposition on the backfoot right at the start of the innings.  It was always refreshing to see fearless cricket being played and Ashok exemplified that. They had not seen this kind of power hitting from a young boy."

Explosive Batsman

St Michaels comprising of Vijay (Dr. Natarajan’s son), Husaifa and Arumugam, beat a fancied Don Bosco in the semifinals and was only beaten by Santhome in the final. In that phase, Ashok also featured in the TNCA Junior Colts team, a result of his strong performances in the league. 

Leggie Sanjay Natarajan who was an integral part of the school team has been the logistics manager of CSK for the last ten years. Recalling the school days and confirming the above batting approach, Sanjay says Ashok surprised the team members with his appetite for runs "We had heard that he had made a lot of runs for YMCA TSR but when he came into the school team he was a new boy and all of us wondered as to who this guy was and how he would contribute to the team's cause. Very soon, he showed what a cricketer he was. There were not too many explosive cricketers in those days but Ashok was one. He would play shots all around the wicket. He was ahead of his time and even played the slog sweep of fast bowlers. To balls pitched on off and middle, he would just move across and hoist over the leg field into the boundary. He had a big appetite for runs and scored a lot for the school in those three years."

Bang Bang cricket at the Canopy Tourney

M Krishna (Shukkal to those in the cricketing circles) was an off spinner and nephew of former TNCA VP Ramesh (Free Lancers) and now performs service at the Varadaraja Perumal Divya Desam in Kanchipuram. He played for three years alongside Ashok Sigamani at the YMCA TSR Club and was also part of the tournament winning team in Bangalore "The way he hit out at a top notch Bengal team and drove them to pieces is still afresh in my memory. Once he got going, he was unstoppable and more often than not gave us a great start in that national tournament." 

Ashok Sigamani was having a dream run and his cricket was looking up in that phase. He dreamt of higher laurels and was all set to graduate into the next level in cricket when his amma Visalakshi asked him to pack off his cricketing kit and head back to Villupuram “My anna was into medicine and I was asked to follow in his footsteps. As an obedient son, I went back to my hometown and did not touch the cricket bat for a year.”

Amma's convincing push to Medicine

A year later, his passion for cricket came back and he was all set to join an Engineering College in Madras on sports quota. He landed up in the city to pay the fees when he found his amma too had made the trip from Villupuram the night before ‘The unique reason she gave me stumped me. When my doctor anna gets married, there would be questions from prospective (bride) families as to why the second son did not take to medicine and is only an Engineer. I was only 17 at the time and marriage was at least a decade away. I had smashed many a bowler on the field in the previous years but I had no answer to this googly from my amma. I had hoped to continue my cricket career while doing my engineering in the city. It was heart breaking and cried a lot that evening impressing upon her my interest to pursue my cricketing passion but she put sense into me and her push led me into medicine at the Annamalai University in Chidambaram. As I look back into that phase, I really owe it to my amma for that important drive that evening in my Periappa's home in Saidapet.”

South Zone University 

Ashok still had a bit of serious cricket left. In the first year at college, the runs he amassed got him on to the University's Honours Board as the highest run getter. He became a cricketing hero in Chidambaram in the way he batted at the top of the innings and everyone looked up to his brand of cricket. He went to Tirunelveli for the inter University tournament and began with a bang. A century in the tournament opener followed by two half centuries got him into the Vizzy Trophy squad and once again his cricketing dreams came back.

Cricket Retirement at 18!!!

However, there was not good news back at the Annamalai University. He had been away from college for a few months and that meant he was left behind in academics. There was attendance deficiency. Once again he received a stern message from his amma “For the second time in two years, my amma (she was everything to me and the entire joint family) asked me once again to shut the ‘cricketing shop’ and focus on studies. Her intent was on me coming out inflying colours as a doctor. And this time without any tears, I quietly followed the instructions of my amma and ‘retired’ from serious cricket.”

He continued to play local cricket during the next four years. In Villupuram, he smashed a record breaking 190 in a league match in the late 1990s. He also hit a century in the then popular St. Peters tournament that was held every summer in Kodaikanal. When he came to Madras for his Post Grad at Ramachandra Medical College, the beautiful ground enticed him back into cricket and he got to playing in the TNCA league starting with CUC and then moving on to many other clubs. 

Into Districts Cricket Administration

Just over a decade ago, he got into cricket administration taking up the post of Secretary of the Villlupuram Districts association. From less than 10 teams in the league there, he took it up to 20 and then to 30 teams. More cricketers have begun to emerge from Villupuram in recent years that has particularly pleasing for Ashok.

 

Nonagenarian TS Ramaswamy is delighted that the teenager who started his cricket at his club way back in the late 1980s is now donning the prestigious role of the President at a reputed cricket association in the country "He played cricket from his heart and I am sure he will do the same in this new role as the President. I am confident that at the end of three years, he would have made a big contribution to TN cricket that will make me proud."

At 46, Ashok Sigamani looks physically fit and mentally energised. He sweats it out every evening at the shuttle court, arising out of his new interest in shuttle. To encourage sportspeople outside of cricket, he has also taken up a team in the TN shuttle league. On the playing front, he continues to feature in league cricket (30overs 6th division league) as well as inter club T20 cricket both of which suit his style of play. Over the last few years, he has also anchored a team in the Doctor’s cricket league in the state and took the Ramachandra College Doctors into the finals of the tournament. He then formed Trichy Tyrants and led them to victory in the national tournament of the Doctors league. 

A 'No- Nonsense' guy

Ashok Sigamani is serious about his role as the President of the TNCA. He wears cricket in his sleeve and has been associated . Even into his mid 40s, he has gone around the city playing league cricket in faraway grounds such as STAG, Venkateswara College, Murugappa and in Porur. This has given him insights into the ground conditions and is fully aware of the short comings. Like with his batting in the early 1990s, he is clear about the way he will operate over the next three years. All those who have seen him from close quarters will know that he is a 'No Nonsense' guy. He has never been ambiguous in his approach right from the way he batted at the start of the innings and says that 'Growth of Cricket' in TN will be his top priority.  Of Course, once again as has been the case for a long time winning Ranji Cricket is on the agenda but for that to happen a lot of things have to change.

RBI off spinner from the 1980s NS Ramesh was Ashok Sigamani's coach at YMCA TSR and went on those trips to Bangalore. He is all praise for Ashok's conduct even as a teenager "Inspite of being  a minister's son, I could never detect even an iota of arrogance in him. He was always grounded. While he was a very good player at that age, the human side of Ashok was particularly touching. He was a nice chap and always very respectful. He was symbolic of how even the most powerful can conduct themselves with utmost humility."

That soft spoken and respectful characteristic of Ashok is still in tact three decades later. Those qualities have just not changed. Ashok looks back at the philosophical message from his appa from his teenage years that has helped him remain grounded “Never do wrong to others and Never hurt others. Money may come and go, power may come and go but earning the 'real respect' is something that will hold you in good stead for a lifetime.” And this is reflected in the way Ashok converses with everyone. 

Developmental Intent

He is keen to convert as many matting wickets in the city into turf wickets as possible in the next three years. Also on his agenda is expanding the TNCA Academy into the districts “I want to take the academy into as many remote locations in the state as possible. I would also like to set up satellite centers in the outskirts of the city so those in the neighbourhood can experience the best of the coaches and facilities close to their homes.”

Unearthing hidden cricketing talent including raw fast bowlers from remote corners of TN is also a key thought that he is looking to implement through a talent scout programme.

Open to constructive criticism

Social media messages soon after his appointment pointed to Chepauk becoming home to Jallikattu in the current political regime. There is also likely to be issues relating to naming the newly constructed stadium. Ashok Sigamani says that he is fully aware of criticisms coming his way "Everyone who has known me in the last few decades know how far away I am from politics. Yes, I am proud to be the son of a minister but my role at the TNCA will be of one who has played cricket for three decades and one who has been passionate about the game all through my life. Every move will reflect in my caring for the development of TN cricket. ”

He says he is keen to listen to others' views and implement when there are constructive developmental ideas. He told this writer that on the immediate front he is looking to be part of all the meetings at the TNCA in the coming months so he has an ear to the ground. 

It is heartening to hear that he is open to strong criticisms and negative feedback from anyone on developmental initiatives "I see this as a sport in the same way I experienced it when I first picked the bat at YMCA all those decades ago and I will do everything in my armory to develop cricket in Tamil Nadu. ‘I welcome criticism from anyone as long as it is constructive and for the betterment of cricket in the state. You will see me being receptive to it. Let me know if I swerve from this” says Ashok Sigamani in as straight a way as when his bat came thudding down on the opposition fast bowler and had the ball racing to the fence behind the bowler. 

TNCA First Division League 2022-23

Sai Sudarshan stands tall in First Division Cricket, Ajith Ram stakes claim with consistent performance with the ball

Fast bowlers in short supply, Young batters fail to show consistency

Ahead of the new first division season, TNCA made a few significant changes. The top four playing the semi finals and the winners moving into the final was done away with. In an effort to get the players prepare themselves better for Ranji cricket, the two day format that existed for a few years was changed to the earlier three day matches. 5 points were on offer for first innings lead but only 6 points for an outright win. In fact, the outgoing Secretary of the TNCA RS Ramaswamy told this writer that he was keen on a four day format but that suggestion did not go through this season. There were to be six rounds of matches at the start of the season with a break of two days between each of the matches. This was to give the selectors a fair view of the players on offer. The first set of matches ended mid September with the players getting into the inter state T20 matches (TN failed to qualify for the knock outs though Coach Venkatramana expressed happiness at the performance and told this writer last evening that it was just one match that made the difference). Here is a look at how things have progressed after the first phase of the first division matches this season.

Sai Stands alone at the top

Jolly Rovers’ opener Sai Sudarshan was the stand out batsman in the first division not just with the amount of runs he has amassed but with the ease with which he taken on the opposition bowlers and dominated them. End of August, he scored a century before lunch in a 185 run opening stand with captain Kaushik Gandhi. When Jolly Rovers needed just under a hundred to beat MRC A, he dominated the chase and showed the form he was in. He then followed up with a double century stand with his captain with both scoring centuries again.  Sai ended the first phase of the league season with his third hundred. He stood tall far and above any other (local) batsman in the first division. His performance is sure to have sealed a place in the TN team in all the three formats (unfortunately he could not translate his rich vein of form into runs at the T20 level for TN last month). 

Chief of the Jolly Rovers cricket team and former India cricketer Bharath Reddy is pleased with his performance “Sai has done exceptionally well. His consistency augurs well for the state in the future.”

Kavin starts with a big double hundred

Opener R Kavin began the season with a big double hundred for Grand Slam. He continued his great start with consistent scores. Former TN and Goa all-rounder DJ Gokulakrishnan (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2017/03/gokulakrishnan-j.html) is the mentor of Grand Slam. He is all praise for Kavin in the way he has played “By batting for over 130overs, he has shown that he has got unperturbed temperament. He has performed consistently for us and has stood out along with Sai Sudarshan amongst the batsmen in this phase in first division.”

PC Prakash, the newly appointed Head of the TNCA Academy, who has seen Kavin closely in age group cricket over the last few years, is pleased with the way he has begun to convert the starts into big knocks “He is extremely talented but failed to convert the 50s into bigger knocks earlier. Now he has realized the importance of big scores and his consistent performance over the last month should give him a lot of confidence.”

Apart from these two, there has not been great consistency from the younger lot in batting. Many centuries have been scored in these six rounds but consistent performance has been lacking.

Lack of depth in Bowling

Bowling has been a weak point for TN in the years gone by with the team lacking consistency in bowling out opposition twice. And this came to the forefront once again at the start of this season. There are plenty of left arm spinners on view but quality off spinners and leg spinners have been difficult to find as have been the fast bowlers. 

Like Sai Sudarshan in batting, Globe Trotters’s Ajith Ram has been the one stand out player in bowling picking up 42 wickets. His star turn with the ball helped his club to two outright wins. 

S Suresh (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2020/11/sweety-s-suresh-tn-ranji-finals-captain.html) under whose captaincy TN reached the Ranji twice in successive years is the mentor at Vijay CC. He is not happy with what he has seen on the bowling front “For a few years, the bowlers had got used to a defensive style of bowling based on the two day format. They are taking time to adapt to the requirements of three day cricket. The attacking mindset in bowling has not yet happened in the first round of matches. Some of them have been good in patches but consistency in bowling is what is required.”

He says the odd five wicket hauls won’t work. Bowlers need to be more consistent in taking wickets. “The wicket taking art is unfortunately going away and that is not good news.”

Prakash (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2022/04/pc-prakash-tn-ranji-1980s.html) is keen to see a fully fit Aswin Crist make a comeback into the TN team “He is a genuine fast bowler who has to walk into the state side if he is fully fit. When fast bowlers are in short supply, a fit again Crist will make a big difference to the squad especially if we are going to play Ranji cricket on non-spinner friendly wickets across the country.”

The All- rounder spot

With Vijay Sankar out through injury, J Kousik of Vijay CC has it in to take the all-rounder’s spot “Every time he bowled he provided a break through. In batting, he could anchor or hit and hence is one for all situations” says Seasoned umpire D Dharmaseelan, who umpired all the rounds in this first phase.

Not Graduating to the next level

Three left handers Vishal Vaidhya, Vimal Khumar and Anchit D had held big potential as teenagers. At the age group level, they were seen as those who had it in them to make it big at the state level. Unfortunately all three have not done enough to convert their potential into runs at the first division.

Anchit scored a century at the start of the season but he had already decided to head to Australia for higher studies putting an end to his serious playing interests. Vimal Khumar has been handed the responsibility of captaincy of Alwarpet but has failed quite badly with the bat while the team is also languishing near the bottom of the table. 

For a decade, Vishal Vaidhya had been under the watchful eyes of late VB Chandrasekar (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2016/01/vb-chandrasekar.html). He was quite successful at the age group level but has somehow not been able get the big runs to catch the eye of the selectors. Earlier this year, in the final rounds of league matches of the 2021-22 season, captaining UFCC he was in scintillating form, scoring two hundreds and missing out narrowly on two more.  Just when one thought he was finally making it count, he has had a miserable first phase this new season though he did come up with a big century in the final match of the first phase. And then made quite a few good scores in the first division one day tourney that followed. He will have to make bigger scores and more consistently when it really counts to catch the eyes of the selectors, again. This section will watch out for him in the 2nd phase of the league for that could be an important set of matches as age is not on his side.

Prakash has watched both Vimal and Vishal very closely for almost a decade and is puzzled at their inability to show consistency “Vishal had a great end to the league last season and one expected him to continue that form into the new season. Even if under pressure, batting at No. 4 is a great opportunity for him to showcase his skills but his lack of consistency is puzzling. Vimal definitely had it in him to take his game to the next level but he too is struggling like Vishal. Others like Lokeshwar, Swaminathan and Radhakrishnan too have failed to graduate into the next level in cricket and have not been able to translate potential into performance.”

Three Day Format

While square turners have meant a quick end to some of the matches, there have been several matches where teams have batted past the 100 overs mark. The three day format has helped in testing the temperament of the batsmen but only a couple of them have been able to show consistency. This format should have helped bowlers bowl to attacking fields unlike the previous couple of years. But except on square turners the attacking mindset has been absent.

Bharath Reddy (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2019/11/bharath-reddy-players-man.html) while applauding the decision to move into a three day format is not pleased with the decision to take away the Semi Finals and Final “It will make for one sided contests with teams going for the kill in certain matches with ‘square turners’ or ‘green tops’.”

This was on view when India Pistons bowled out MCC on the first morning of the match (State Selector S Vasudevan was seen fuming after watching the entire first session at India Pistons) and MRF bowled out UFCC almost twice on the first day. 

However, Gokulakrishnan has a different view on this “Teams have eleven matches to showcase their skills. It is fine for the top team after 11 matches to be crowned as the champion.” Any way that had been the model for many decades.

The Disappointments

From a Ranji selection point of view, the first six rounds have not thrown up any special off spinner, leg spinner or fast bowler. Despite the opportunity for each of the batsmen to play really long innings (especially on non turning tracks), the selectors may not have had new names challenging the existing lot. And both these have proved to be disappointing at the end of the first phase of the first division this season. In Ajith Ram’s case, with Sai Kishore and M Siddharth as the lead spinners, it may be difficult for the selectors to get him in as the third left arm spinner despite his extraordinary performances in the first phase of the league season.

Those to watch out for

While some of the teenagers of yesteryears have failed to graduate to the next level, there are a few who are beginning to show glimpses of their talent. Globe Trotters’ Ajitesh (he has been selected for the T20s) is one who certainly holds potential. Dharmaseelan sees him as a special talent “He is one batsman who has it in him to go high up in cricket. He has all the shots in the book especially in the shorter version.”

Sonu Yadav is very talented, has got runs and bowled well. He is really quick as a bowler and that the state should look to groom him for the future. Sanjay Yadav has got ‘attacking’ runs and taken wickets.

TN U19 quick MRC A’s V.P. Dhiran is a fast bowling talent that can be nurtured. The team’s coach Guru Kedarnath, who is also the state U25 asst coach, says that it is a challenge for all fast bowlers in the city in the first division league as they come up on slow wickets “It would be worth the while to see how he performs on quicker wickets when he goes around the country for the U19 matches.”

Former RBI opener S Ramesh is now the mentor at Nelson, a team that has a surprise presence in the top 4 at the end of phase 1. He says that Mohit Hariharan is one to be watched out for. He has  been impressive scoring over 400runs.

Among other batsmen, Guru Raghavendra and Mohammed Ali showed glimpses of what they are capable with big hundreds and it would be interesting to see how they perform in the second half of the league season.