Bharath Reddy @ 70 Jolly Rovers Success

Best track record in TN Club cricket in the last 50 years

Bharath Reddy's Hunger for more titles remains after clinching a 3rd Palayampatti Shield in a row under Vijay Sankar's leadership

Will the TNCA President Ashok Sigamani consider this 70 year old veteran for a role in the state's hunt for the Ranji Trophy

It is 30 years since India Keeper from the 1979 World Cup Bharath Reddy took to managing the cricket clubs run by Chemplast (Sanmar Group). At 70, he is once again basking in glory this summer after clinching yet another Palayampatti Shield, the third in succession after the passing away of his mentor N Sankar. Before his death, Sankar had told this writer that he had taken a promise from Bharath that he would continue to engage with the club as long as his son Vijay wants him to.  Sticking to his word, he is continuing to show the same passion that has driven Jolly Rovers to innumerable titles over the last two decades and more.

Bharath Reddy sat down on Tuesday morning with this writer to look back at his long and illustrious three decades career  managing the cricket teams at Chemplast and the hunger to continue to win trophies at 70!!!

Summer of 79- 'I will get you one day!!!'

He has a hearty laugh recalling what N Sankar told him soon after he returned from the (disastrous) World Cup and the test series in England in mid 1979 (Bharath Reddy had a great opportunity to become a national hero with India chasing a world record target in the fourth innings of the final test but his captain downed the shutters on him and he had to play out for a draw!!!). “I had three offers that summer. While Sankar (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2020/11/jolly-rovers-n-sankar-75.html) could not match my financial expectations of the time, he told me (and those words still ring a bell in my ears) ‘I will get you one day’. He was confident even back then that I would be able to make a positive cricketing contribution in his life and that gave me a lot of confidence.”

Sankar did get him in 1982 and Bharath went on to play for Jolly Rovers for the next decade.  By this time, Sankar and Bharath had forged a great cricketing relationship. Soon after hanging his keeping gloves, Bharath was asked to take over the management of the club.

Sankar needed Bharath in the 1990s

Former India Cricketer TA Sekar (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2013/08/ta-sekar-architect-behind-worlds-best.html) played alongside Bharath Reddy for TN for many years and later the two contested the TNCA elections together and were very close for a few years in the 1990s. Sekar told this writer that having engaged with him as a player for a decade, Sankar knew inside out the great strengths of Bharath.  He was a great organiser, could get around all kinds of people, was well networked with the powers that be in Indian cricket and was an ultimate PR man. Sankar identified Bharath's potential early and capitalised on his wide ranging cricketing skills. And Bharath did wonders for him. 

                                              

The Early Phase - Hunger to Win 

While Bharath contributed well as a cricketer in the 1980s for Jolly Rovers, full time round the year team management was a different kettle of fish and he took time to understand that role. He recalls that early phase in the 1990s “I was new to that role and took about 2-3 years to understand what it entailed and how to go about it. But by the end of the 1990s, I had caught on to it and the hunger to win was firmly entrenched in me. The biggest differentiator in that phase was that Sankar gave me all the freedom and rarely said No to me. The amount of trust he placed in me was just unbelievable and gives me goose bumps even today."

Jabbar - A personal favourite

He counts Abdul Jabbar (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2024/02/abdul-jabbar-tn-middle-order-batsman.html) as one of his best early picks as a captain. The two had played together for SBI in addition to being teammates for the state “Jabbar was a personal favourite of mine. Unfortunately, I thought he played in the wrong era!!!  How else would you describe the lack of chances at the highest level. He was everything a teammate could have asked for and would do anything for the captain. His contribution to Jolly Rovers was enormous.”

Spotting outstation talent

Bharath Reddy has been a master at picking outstation talent. Sujith Somasundar (whose wicket this writer once picked in Bangalore!!) was among his first picks from outside the state, one that Bharath cherishes to this day. There were some interesting rules in local club cricket in Bangalore but Bharath used his networking skills to secure the services of Sujith for Chemplast  “I spoke to Brijesh Patel and got his nod for Sujith to play club cricket in Chennai. Soon after, he was picked to play for the country. It is those picks and moments that you relish in your ‘old age’ – those that you spotted and picked early who went on to play for the country.”

Bharath counts Jalaj Saxena (who incidentally has moved on this year) and Piyush Chawla as two other 'great' outstation players who performed outstandingly for Jolly Rovers for many years and played a pivotal role in securing many  titles for the club. 

First win is great but need consistent titles - Sankar tells Bharath

End of the 1990s, Bharath Reddy won the first Palayampatti Shield since taking over the full time cricket management. He recalls the early message from Sankar that drove the winning habit in him. “Sankar repeatedly told me that while it is difficult to win the first championship and appreciated that effort, it was a lot more challenging to keep winning consistently. And for that to happen, retaining cricketers was an important aspect to focus on.”

Finding their cricketing foundation at Jolly Rovers

As he looks back his post playing decades, he is pleased that many cricketers in India have had their cricketing foundation at Jolly Rovers “We gave many a talented cricketer their big early break in first division cricket and got them to experience top class practice facilities for the first time in their life. Round the year practice facilities, new balls at every session and a couple of throwers were big differentiators and we were way ahead of others on these aspects.” 

Bharath rolls out many names - S Badrinath, R Ashwin, L Balaji....for whom this was the real building block in their cricketing lives. It was after the exposure at Jolly Rovers that they scaled the next level in cricket. 

He points to Sai Sudarshan being a most recent testimony to that laying of the early foundation. "From challenging times, he has grown rapidly under the Jolly Rovers' umbrella and has become yet another India cricket that this club has produced. Despite offers from multiple clubs, Sai continues at Jolly Rovers, a team that gave him an early exposure."

Bharath Reddy sees Sai as one of a kind personality “Soon after the IPL, he came back to Chennai to see me and take my blessings ahead of the England tour. How many TN cricketers of this stature would do this.”

The next crop of Roversians

He points out that he has currently laid the foundation for the next crop of players. ‘I pick players based on what I see in them, motivate them and give them all the exposure that they require at an early age. I operate with the highest transparency and tell the players what I think of them on their face. Every single player knows the likely exposure he would get at JR on all fronts - from practice to matches and hence gives his life for the club. The average age in the team is now around 23 and that augurs well for the future.' 

TN Coach/ Mentor - A missing weapon in his armoury

When this writer posed the sensitive question on whether he ever cherished a dream to coach TN / mentor Ranji cricketers into winning ways after all his success at Jolly Rovers, Bharath turns sober and wonders as to what might have been “There is no anger for I have greatly enjoyed my role at Jolly Rovers and the decades long cricketing relationship with Mr. Sankar. But yes, it has been frustrating not to have had the opportunity to be involved with the TN team.”

Bharath Reddy is no more the angry young man that one saw in the decades gone by but when Kerala reached the final this year, a team that TN would beat hands down during his playing days in the 70s and 80s, a sadness of immeasurable depth impacted his mind. Could he have played a role in turning the Ranji fortunes of the TN team. But over the years and more so now than ever before with him turning 70, he has come to accept the fact that despite all the players he has built and created for the state and the country and the innumerable number of trophies in his cabinet and consoles himself that it is unlikely merit will find its way in the state cricket.

But it is clear that deep inside there is sadness within him that merit has not been recognised in the state. 

Wanted to emulate Brijesh but didnt get the administrative opps in TNCA

In the 1990s, Sekar had a couple of years of very close engagement with Bharath and the two discussed many different developmental aspects of TN cricket as part of their role at the TNCA. He says that Bharath has always been a controversial character and a rebellion but to be with one club for over four decades from the early 1980s and to create the kind of legacy he has at Jolly Rovers is a monumental achievement, especially when he has been at a 'disadvantage' for much of his team management years. He has created a cricketing culture at Chemplast and has been a great mentor for many upcoming players in the state.  

He also dreamed big for TN cricket but that has remained unfulfilled. “It was Bharath’s idea to build the AC box at Chepauk and he was also keen on relaying the pitch and the ground in that phase in the 1990s but it did not take off as he did not get the necessary approval at that time. With his all round skills, he would have made for a great administrator better than any other but it was not to be. He wanted to emulate Brijesh (his contribution at the KSCA) and do great work at the TNCA but things did not work out for him in the way he wished.”

Playful and Impish but an observant student of the game

The Hindu's K Balaji (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2020/09/a-blossoming-cricket-career-was-cut.html) has known Bharath Reddy from his schooling days in the late 1960s when his Don Bosco team took on MCC School in local matches. The two went on to play together for city schools, state schools and the University before also being team mates at Ranji. While he himself was an introvert and a reserved boy in his youth, he says that Bharath was an extrovert and would often play prank on fellow cricketers.  "As a teenage boy, Bharath very playful, prankish and impish. That endeared him to many friends even at an early stage. But behind that exterior, there obviously was a sharp cricketing brain, an observant student of the game with a natural ability to absorb small and minute details that others didn’t notice. He had an eye for spotting talent and the ability to develop and convert that raw talent into a strong finished product" Balaji told this writer.

Great Conviction and Belief in himself

"He always went by his conviction irrespective of what others thought of him.  He is very loyal and a true friend though he has own strong likes and dislikes. But he is absolutely frank and you get what you see. There is no talking behind the back with Bharath" says Balaji on how you could trust Bharath on his words. 

Pity TNCA has not utilised this exceptional talent

Balaji has watched a lot of cricket over the last several decades including the World Cup final in 1979 and 83 at Lords (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2022/10/world-cup-1979-reliving-final-k-balaji.html). "I would say in the decades that I have watched cricket in the country, there is no equivalent to Bharath in 'player and team management' abilities, definitely in TN and only a very few across the country. It is a pity that the state has not utilised his services especially when the stated aim has been to win the Ranji Trophy and Bharath has an unmatched track record in TN club cricket."

Making his Mentor Happy

The trophy cabinet began to fill up from the late 1990s and has continued to this year. On his success mantra, he laughs as to how his outlook to cricket changed after he joined Jolly Rovers “During my playing days, I did not take life seriously and the fighting qualities did not come to the forefront. That’s the reason I did not succeed at the top level. But once I took on the team management role at Jolly Rovers, I realised that I had to be accountable at every step and be outstanding every year. Mr. Sankar trusted me a lot on my decisions and the only way to repay that trust was by gifting him the Palayampatti shield as often as possible.”

"From the day, Mr. Sankar assigned me this task, I wanted to be accountable till my last cricketing day. Choosing the right players, giving them the exposure both at the practice space as well as at the match level and giving them a solid foundation for them to build their cricket career has worked well for me and helped achieved the results that pleased Mr. Sankar right till his end. He always cherished the Palayampatti wins and you could see the delight on his face each time we triumphed.”

Winning Hunger @ 70

So, what keeps him going after 70 for he has won everything on board at the club including two VAP One day trophies after Vijay Sankar took over from his appa. “For one, sticking to my promise and commitment to Mr. N Sankar  to continue the winning legacy for as long as possible and then the unmatched happiness in continuously toppling the decades long rival (India Cements)."

He says that Vijay is even more passionate than his appa Sankar. "He is delighted with us winning three championships in a row in addition to the two VAP trophies. Even in the moments when we are down, he is very encouraging and motivating and has confidence that we will come up trumps. That passion that I have seen in Vijay has helped me come through the low phase after the passing away of Mr. Sankar." 

It's that time of the year when Bharath has tension filled moments picking the best squad that would pitch for the next title. As it happens once in a while, there are those who served him well for many years that would leave and he has to replan, but it is now a phase when Bharath is looking to build a base for the future that would hold the club in good stead in the coming years.

There is a twinkle in his eyes when he talks about young guns such as Vimal Khumar (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2019/01/vimal-khumar-tn-cricketer.html), Andrei Siddharth, Ambarish Deepesh, Sachin and the like. He is hoping that these youngsters would take Jolly Rovers into its next phase of success.

In a long conversation with this writer three years ago soon after taking over as the President of the TNCA, Ashok Sigamani (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2022/11/ashok-sigamani-tnca-president.html) had said that he would fearlessly do all that is required for the good of TN cricket. In this period, he has seen a hat trick of wins for Bharath Reddy. It is hoped that he would look at utilising the services of Bharath now that he has personally  experienced Bharath's  success and how he has orchestrated trophies consistently in the first division fighting as always with his back to the wall.