Kedarnath S Opener from the 1970s

In great form in 1977, he believed he was on the verge of a Ranji Debut until the Selector broke his heart with an open declaration

After watching him bat, I was confident he was State material as he was technically very sound and invited him to come to Bangalore so he could play for Karnataka in the Ranji but he could not make it. It is a pity he did not play Ranji Cricket - Batting Legend Gundappa Viswanath

A Dominating Opener, there was a Lazy Elegance to his Batting - Abdul Jabbar, his teammate of a decade at SBI

40years as PSBB Coach, 300 kids/25 coaches at his two decades old cricket academy, 5years promoting music artistes and a joyous Mimic of old cricketers

In 1977, a young batsman came back to the pavilion to rapturous applause after almost scoring a century in a city vs districts match at the beginning of the season only to be greeted by a selector with a ‘you will not play for the state till I am here’. He was almost in tears when he came back that evening to his palacious home on Nair Road in T. Nagar, Madras only to be told by his father too that he would not be selected till that man was on the selection panel. Later that year, he scored a big century at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in front of the legendary GR Viswanath, who immediately asked him to take a transfer and move to Bangalore so he could play for Karnataka. His father asked him to stay put in Madras and there ended this man’s Ranji hopes. He went on to score over 30 Centuries for SBI and has over the last two decades been running a cricket academy where there are now a whopping 300 kids and 25coaches!!! Here’s the story of an opener for whom State Cricket remained elusive. 

Another one from YSCA’s Guru Team

Like for many T Nagar based cricketers from the 1960s and 70s, cricket began for S Kedarnath at the Somasundaram Ground with YSCA Gurumurthy (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2020/11/ms-gurumurthy-ysca-somasundaram-ground.html) playing tennis ball cricket at the West end of the ground alongside his school mate TA Sekar. It was playing the five day test cricket at that ground did Kedarnath build a strong technique especially facing the fiery tennis ball bouncers of Sekar. Alongside practicing and playing matches at the Somasundaram ground, he was also initiated into Mirudangam under the mentorship of Acharya T. H (Vikku) Vinayakaram. For a decade, cricket and music went side by side. Kedarnath also played a bit of tennis at School. Hi

His father, who was a pretty good tennis player in his younger days, worked at the Railways, initially with the Eastern Railway and later at ICF in North Madras. His elder brother S Badrinath too was a good opening bowler at school and college. 

SBI's Chandru provides him the league break

When Kedar was 13years old, R Chandrasekaran of SBI (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2020/09/r-chandrasekaran-sbi-globe-trotter.html) who has run many league teams in the city over the last five decades, roped in Kedar for BRC, a team managed by him at that time. Kedar recalls his debut league match “We were shot out for 30 or so at the AM Jain Ground against Globe CC and I ended up top scoring with 13 not out. It was an amazing experience to top score in league at that age!!!”

                                                      SBI's Chandru

“In that early phase, I was moulded by TS Viswanathan (Services) and R Chandrasekaran. It was at BRC that I became an opening bat and began to score runs consistently. After my consistent performances, it was Chandru who suggested to me that I should play higher division”

Create the Next Gen Mathematicians

And thus he joined his brother at Friends XI in the second division league. Strong performances in the league earned him a place in the TN Colts team, the first big recognition of his cricketing abilities.  From a very young age, he had a liking for Mathematics and his ambition was to become a Maths lecturer and develop the next set of ‘Mathematicians’!!! It was with this aim that he joined B. Sc Maths at AM Jain College, where his longtime RKM school mate TA Sekar too became his college and cricket teammate. 

A Devotional and God fearing Person

Once India’s fastest bowler, Sekar (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2013/08/ta-sekar-fastest-indian-bowler-of-1980s.html) recalls Kedar from those early years “He was from a family of traditionalists. Kedar always sported the sacred white ash and the Kumkum on his forehead. He was the ‘credible’ boy for our family. Whenever I said I was going to Kedar’s house, my parents would immediately agree for they believed I was in safe hands at their home. We practiced many hours at his spacious independent house. I would change into whites at his home and go for matches from there.”

Kedarnath did not play for TN schools or any other schools based representative cricket and his years at school were sandwiched between the cricket bat and the Mirudangam. And of course temples! He was a highly devoted boy and with the sacred ash on his forehead would often visit the Vaduvudai Amman temple (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2021/04/thyagaraja-temple-thiruvotriyur.html) in Thiruvotriyur and the Kapaleeswarar temple (Kapali Jayakanthan Shivachariar) in Mylapore. He was also a regular at Vaitheeswaran Koil, Srirangam and Tirupathi, something he has continued right into his 60s.

One of the Best Onside batsmen

‘Jillu’ B Ramesh, who played for Jolly Rovers/ Chemplast for 15years, was Kedarnath’s team mate at AM Jain College and also played with him at Friends XI in the TNCA league. He remembers how he secured the opening slot in the college team “Kedar was a devoted guy even as a young boy and was a regular at Tirupathi. When he was on one such temple trip, I opened in his place for the college and scored a big knock that  landed him at No. 3 in the subsequent matches!!!”

“Even in those years, he was one of the best onside players. He had good eyesight and a solid technique. During the college years, he seemed to have more time than most others and it was difficult to ‘remove’ him. He was a classy player and had the makings of playing for a long time for the state.” 

A Terrible Sight- Sekar hits his childhood mate

Sekar (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2013/08/ta-sekar-architect-behind-worlds-best.html) recalls the city college selection trial when he hit Kedar on the forehead with a bouncer “I hit quite a few batsmen in the country with bouncers but this would count as one of the worst. Blood oozed out of his face and the entire shirt and pant had turned RED. When I went home that evening to take a look at him, his forehead was swollen big. It was a scary sight. His mother who had known me from my RKM school days asked me ‘Enna da panneeta’ that left me quite embarrassed.”

Central Zone leg spinner, who continues to play league cricket in Madras aged 65, S Madhavan (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2018/11/rbi-madhavan-leg-spinner.html) was at the other end when Sekar's bouncer knocked over Kedar "It was a terrible sight and he was out of action for a while. But when he came back, I remember he hooked Sekar with the same confidence that he had before the injury. Such was his class."

Viveka Performances catches SBI man’s eye

Bombay and TN Ranji batsman S Srinivasan, a resident of Gopalakrishna Road - a few hundred yards away from Kedar’s house - too was a team mate of Kedarnath at the Somasundaram ground. It was he who lured Kedar to Post Graduation in Maths at the Vivekananda college, a decision that resulted in him getting a high profile job at SBI thus putting an end to his Mathematical dreams “Kedar was a free flowing batsman. The ground strokes he played in Tennis kind of helped him in his early free flowing stroke play in cricket. We had forged many partnerships in the ‘test matches’ at Somasundaram ground. When he graduated, I lured him into joining Vivekananda College for I believed that with him at the top of the order, our batting would be strengthened significantly. He was also a brilliant slip fielder and would pluck unbelievable catches. The ball never seemed to pass him, such was his alertness at slip. His presence at the college was a huge boost to the whole side and his contribution was invaluable as the college swept the titles that year." 

Kedarnath thought he would be able to further his interest in Mathematics and agreed to join but his cricket performances that year in 1976 meant that he was to go away from Maths forever. He was also to captain Friends XI to league promotion.

The Delightful flick of the wrist

Speaking from the US, IOB’s M Sundar, who opened with Kedar on a few occasions and played against him many times in the 70s and 80s says that he was one of the finest technically, well equipped and a compact opening batsman. “His strokes were sheer timing & finesse. One stroke that stood out always in his repertoire was the flick of his waist which was a delight to the eyes especially when I was at the other end. Against a formidable Madras University team, we put together a century partnership and won the Ramadurai Trophy match despite being clear underdogs.

Following Kedarnath's performances for the Vivekananda College, it was SBI’s Chandrasekaran, who had given him the first break in the TNCA league end of the previous decade, once again who recommended his name at the bank as a long term cricketing prospect for the Bank. For 15years, Kedar’s academic proficiency was in Mathematics and his mind was clear on wanting to become a Math lecturer. But his appa asked him to forget his dream of becoming a lecturer, for securing a job at SBI was considered high profile in those days for a middle class household and he obeyed his appa’s instructions and joined the Main Branch in 1977 after discontinuing his post graduation after the first year. In his very first match for SBI, he scored a half century against Indian Bank at RKM ground in an YSCA Trophy match.

A Dominating Opener

TN mainstay of the 1970s Abdul Jabbar played for ten years with Kedarnath at SBI. Talking to this writer from Hyderabad, he recalls Kedar's approach to batting “He was a natural opener who liked to dominate the bowlers from the word 'Go'.  He played many a good knock in his career but the two that stand out for me were the ones against Rusi Modi XI in the Buchi Babu tournament & against Chemplast in the finals of The Hindu trophy when we were chasing a big target. He was a very wristy player and there was a lazy elegance to his batting. Even his short innings of 20’s & 30’s was a treat to watch.”

A memorable knock but a Cruel Message

Over that 12 month period in 1976-77, he seemed to be in prime form. After strong performances for Vivekananda College, he scored over 200runs in three matches including a knock of 88 against Mafatlal at Chepauk and the knock of 86 referred above by Jabbar against Rusi Modi XI at MCC College at the start of the new season in 1977 in the Buchi Babu tournament. Despite being in the form of his life, what is strongly etched in Kedarnath memory is  that tearful evening in 1977 after what he thought was a memorable innings “In the city vs districts match, I scored 96 under the captaincy of Krishnaswamy. It gave me a lot of satisfaction and I thought I may have done enough to get into the state team. The huge crowd that watched the match shouted out with confidence that I would be in the Ranji team that year.”

Even as he came back into the pavilion to the thunderous applause of the crowd and of his teammates, he was brought down to earth when a voice ( that of the Chief Selector) struck a cruel message right on his face ‘You will not play for TN till I am there’.”

The young man was almost in tears at this shocking statement and came home that evening to narrate the story to his father. Upon knowing who the selector was his father too endorsed that thought, much to the youngster’s shock. There had been a professional incident at Railways earlier involving the selector with Kedar’s father being the investigating assistant and it was unlikely that he was going to forget that!!!

Kedarnath recalls S Venkataraghavan (Venkat@75) wishing him well at the Taj Connemara (Venkat was to tour Australia and missed the Ranji season) ahead of the Ranji season and asking him to bat well in the Ranji matches. But that Ranji call remained elusive.

An impressed GRV calls him to Bangalore

This phase coincided with him joining SBI. Putting behind the cricket disappointment, he began to focus on his ‘first job’. That same year, he had the best experience of his life one that he says is unforgettable. SBI’s CGM Ramananda Rao wanted to watch a battle between two legends VV Kumar and GR Viswanath and organised a Bangalore v Madras bank match at the KSCA. Kedarnath scored 178 in a chase of over 400 against SBI Bangalore. 

A Top of the World Feeling

The batting legend was so impressed with Kedar’s back foot play and his technique as an opener that when he heard of TN’s rejection he asked Kedar to take a transfer to Bangalore so he could play for Karnataka next year as they were looking for an opener. It was a gesture that delighted the young Kedarnath. He was on top of the world as any youngster would be. He came home and announced with great delight to his father this invitation from India’s legend. Once again much to his disappointment, his father asked him to stay put in Madras and to play first division cricket for SBI in this city. The pronouncement put paid to Kedarnath’s Ranji dreams. It crushed his enthusiasm but Kedar has no regrets of his appa’s decision “He was from a traditional family and cared a lot for me. He did not believe in sending me alone to Bangalore at a young age for the sake of cricket. As a dutiful son, I had no answer and followed his directions. In those years, you did not protest against father’s decisions.”  

In any case, it was no straightforward task to get a full time transfer at SBI having been recruited for the Madras branch and to play first division cricket and other tournaments in Madras. Well over a decade earlier, when R Chandrasekaran was asked by Kerala to take a transfer to that state so he could play Ranji cricket there, the bank refused a full time transfer. 

He would have done well for Karnataka in Ranji

On a day when he lost his close friend and team mate of many years B Vijayakrishna, batting legend Gundappa Viswanath told this writer in a long conversation from his home in JP Nagar, Bangalore that Kedarnath was a technically sound batsman and felt that he should have played for Tamil Nadu. “After I watched him play for SBI, I wondered as to how such a player was not picked by TN. He had a frustrated feeling that he was not being picked despite running good scores in the first division league in Madras and also in other top tournaments. I found him to be special when he played in SBI's matches. That is when I asked him to come to Bangalore and play in the first division here after registering himself in the league. I was confident he would do well in the league and that we would be able to pick him for the Karnataka team in the Ranji Trophy. Unfortunately, he could not make it to Bangalore.”

“We played a lot of cricket together for a strong All India State Bank and shared many good partnerships. If he could be part of that SBI team that comprised the who's who of Indian cricket and scored runs in that team, he should have definitely played Ranji cricket for TN and it is a pity he did not.”

"Like KR Rajagopal (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2021/03/kr-rajagopal-dashing-opener-brilliant.html) who was very unlucky not to have been picked for India and gone on that Australia trip in 1967-68, Kedarnath was unlucky not to have been picked for TN in the late 1970s and played Ranji Trophy cricket" says Viswanath, with a tinge of sadness.

He put the bad balls away

Kedar joined VV Kumar at SBI in the year that saw the exit of the legendary leg spinner from TN cricket. VV Kumar (Spin Legend) him as a technically sound opener with a lot of patience and the ability to put away the wayward deliveries.

Coimbatore's PR Ramakrishnan, who himself was on the verge of a Ranji Debut earlier in the decade, is of the view that while Kedar was a good batsman, "it was a challenging task for him to break past the three openers who had established themselves through the decade for TN. By the end of the decade, K Srikkanth too came into prominence."

NP Madhavan too had come to stake a claim in the TN Squad towards the late 1970s having emerged as a star player from the Chengalpet District. Madhavan (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2016/05/np-madhavan.html)who made his Ranji debut as an opener in 1980 recalls Kedar being a stylish batsman who he says was unfortunate not to have debuted for TN in that phase when he too was aspiring to be a TN opener.

Former India Wicket Keeper Bharath Reddy captained SBI towards the end of the decade. Talking from the US, he said 'Kedar was just a notch below Kicha, Shiv and Ramesh'.

It is well over four decades since the time he thought he was on the verge of a Ranji Debut. Kedarnath looks back at that year and says that he was frustrated at not being given a look-in in that phase – at least 1-2 matches in Ranji for him to prove his mettle at the state level. “I was in the best form of my life in 77/78 and not being able to get at least a couple of opportunities at the state level to showcase my credentials remains my biggest disappointment in cricket. But of course, my appa convinced me that I would not get in.”

Sekar says that Kedar was unlucky not to have played for the state “He was very stylish for a right hander. At that time, there were three others as openers and he should count himself unlucky. Though he scored a lot of runs at college and in the first division on matting wickets against top bowlers in a very competitive first division league, that first break for TN remained elusive and he just could not make his debut.”

Srinivasan says that once he met and played alongside GRV, Kedar had become a huge fan of the legend. For him to have gained the confidence and admiration of GRV is a huge achievement and a great feeling. “Unfortunately, for him, the opening slot in TN was not open at the right time. If he had got one opportunity, he may have tried to prove that he belonged to this stage but he just did not get it.”

After 77/78, Kedarnath never really came back into contention for TN with younger players Srikkanth, NP Madhavan and CS Suresh Kumar coming into the fray. Like R Madhavan (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2020/10/r-madhavan-tn-cricketer-1980s.html) who after the dejection of not being included in the Indian team in 1984-85 despite running up big scores did not reach that level again in Ranji cricket, Kedarnath resigned himself to the fact that he would not play again and settled down quietly at SBI. He continued to play for the bank in the first division in Madras. His cherished memories are of playing with his mentor for All India State Bank “It was difficult at that moment but I consoled myself quite quickly and moved on to give my best for SBI and enjoying the moments with my Guru Vishy. I always look back at my cricketing days to remind myself as to how blessed I was that I could watch him bat from the other end.”

Launch of Kedaram

In 2016, he launched ‘Kedaram’, an academy to promote musical talent by providing them opportunities and a platform to perform. S Madhavan who too played cricket alongside Kedar at the Somasundaram ground in T Nagar and for Friends XI in the second division shares common musical interest with him “He was a very good mirudangam player though he did not pursue his interest in that field. However, it was that passion that led him to launch Kedaram and promote artistes providing them with opportunities to perform. Every time I am at his academy, he would always ask me to sing and our discussions would center around Raagams."

Never a wrong word about another player

Sekar says that Kedar has always remained a very nice fellow. “I sometimes felt he was too nice to be a cricketer. He had a terrific sense of humour, was always a good team man, a god fearing person, did not fight with anyone despite the frustrations he went through at that time. At the end of a day’s play, his mimicking of other teammates especially of Chandru and VV Kumar gave all of us great joy.”

Not a Dull Moment with Kedar around

Jabbar echoes Sekar’s sentiments “Kedar was a very easy going person and was never taken seriously by anyone not even when he mimicked on the face of the player. He is blessed with a rare talent to mimicking. With him around in the dressing room, there was not a dull moment, not even when we lost a match. He had that special capacity to wittily transform those moments.”

Has given me so much joy through his mimicries

While he may not have earned the recognition he should have on the field at the state level, the best of his off field action was certainly recognised and acknowledged by teammates. Viswanath wonders as to how Kedar pulled this off and continues to do so "I do not know how he does that but in a flash he would change from one voice to another and do that so beautifully. It is always lovely to hear his mimicry. Whenever I feel bored, I call him over the phone and ask him to mimic the old players from the 1970s. And he would immediately take me to a world of joy. He has been blessed with the ability to provide happiness to others through his mimicries."

"Having known him for over four decades, I have always found him to be a nice human being and a very God fearing person" says Vishy. He is also happy that Kedar has been running a cricket academy for two decades. 

He may not have played Ranji Trophy  for TN or Karnataka but Kedarnath is proud to have scored over 30 centuries for SBI including 28 in the first division league. In the week of his wedding, he says he came back from Trichy and scored 186 NO in the first division league. Another innings that instantly comes to his thoughts is the match in the MCC Dyanora Trophy, when aged well past 30, he scored 90 against a strong MRF attack comprising of  Sekar, Zaidi and Razdan and chased 290. He recalls a young Sachin Tendulkar who was then on the verge of his making his India debut coming to him and saying that it was the best back foot knock he had seen. Touching 35, he scored a century against K Arun Kumar  and Niranjan Kumar at their fastest on a green top at SPIC. 

One of the Pillars of SBI Cricket

Abdul Jabbar puts Kedar's contributions for SBI in perspective “He was one of the main contributors in SBI’s success during my time. Both of us knew the importance of our wickets to the team's cause. He was a superb timer of the ball and it was always pleasing to watch him bat. I enjoyed batting with him during those ten years. ”

In 2001, he quit SBI and started a coaching academy in T Nagar. While he has now run it for two decades, one does wonder as to how a cricket academy can manage 300 kids at one point of time -  25 coaches at his academy is his answer!!!! 

In important phases in his life, things went against him. Over four decades later, he is truly happy that God has given him lot more than what he may have wanted though he does miss not playing Ranji cricket. He has coached the PSBB School for close to four decades, run a cricket academy for two decades and an academy for budding music artistes now for five years. In his cricketing life, he considers it an honour to have played alongside the greats of Indian cricket for the All India SBI side and particularly savours his relationship with legend and his mentor ‘Vishy’. 

Just before his father’s death in 1988, he expressed his regret at his disapproval in 1977 “He told me with a great deal of sadness that he should have allowed me to go to Bangalore to pursue my Ranji ambition”, Kedar remembers of being by his father's bedside.

An astrologer once told Kedar that he was destined to climb 99steps of the ladder with ease but would always stay one step away (remember that snake at 99 in Paramapadam where one comes tumbling down!!!) and he has for long accepted that as part of his life. 

Even as the Pandemic has kept most of the cricketers, current and former, indoors, he received a call recently from his ‘Guru’ Vishy asking him to mimic the cricketers of yesteryears especially VV Kumar. He looks back at his life and wonders as to what more could he have asked for from God than receiving such a request from the batting legend and giving him delight with his voice four decades after GRV had asked him to join him in Bangalore!! He could not accept that invitation in 1977 but this one in 2021, he surely did and sent him a recording mimicking several of the former players that sent Vishy into joyous laughter at his home in Bangalore.

Chidambaram Deekshithar TNCA Umpire

The Deekshithar in TNCA Cricket

Kalyana Venkatesa Deekshithar of the Chidambaram Nataraja Temple became a TNCA Umpire last decade and wanted to pursue his ambition of becoming a BCCI umpire but the Mega Kumbabhisekam of 2015 meant he had to focus for a full year on the consecration work ahead of the exams

The Deekshithar's family have around 200days of annual service at the temple

In 2011-12, BCCI Umpire R Rajesh Kannan (BCCI Umpire Rajesh Kannan) visited the famous Nataraja temple in Chidambaram following a cricket training camp he had overseen in Cuddalore. That is when he met S Kalyana Venkatesa Deekshithar who was in his early 30s then. Moved by his interest in cricket, Rajesh Kannan initiated the thought in him of becoming a cricket umpire. He handed him the laws of cricket and mentored him to take up the examination conducted by the TNCA. Kalyana Venkatesa Deekshithar came through the examination and much to his delight began umpiring league matches in Madras. Many times he would take a bus from Chidambaram on Friday night, umpire the matches over the weekend and return on Sunday night. There were times he would come in from Bangalore to umpire a cricket match. At that time, he cherished the ambition of becoming a BCCI umpire. But temple work in the middle of the last decade led to his return to Chidambaram and put paid to the mega umpiring ambitions of the Deekshithar in TNCA cricket!!!

A 1000 year tradition

Kalyana Venkatesa Deekshithar belongs to the hereditary family of Pothu Deekshithars who have been performing pooja at the Nataraja temple for over 1000 years. His grandfather performed service at the temple for over five decades, while his father Sethu Mahadevan, who has initiated a large number of students into Vedas, continues to perform archaka service at the temple having started out in the 1970s.

Kalyana Venkatesa Deekshithar learnt the Vedas for about five years from Parameswara Deekshithar in Chidambaram. Given the financial challenges of the time and the huge joint family that he was part of, he pursued his academics and completed MBA in Finance from the Annamalai University. While his father and grandfather along with his uncles continued the temple service, Kalyana Venkatesa Deekshithar went into the corporate world for a few years. It was also a period when there was severe pressure from the HR & CE to take over the administration of the temple and the mood inside the temple was unsettling with most unsure as to how things would unfold. 

Deekshithar anchors the Chidambaram Koil Team

As a young school boy, he had been active in cricket and played a number of tennis ball tournaments in Chidambaram. “I was a medium fast bowler and a middle order batsman and an integral part of the team.  With our good performances in those tournaments, our team came to be popularly known as the ‘Koil Team’.” 

Deekshithar in the TNCA league

He wanted to pursue his cricketing interests but the financial challenges of the time led him into the corporate world.While he could not move to Madras as a teenager to explore his cricketing interests, later on he joined the lower division league team Madras Indians, one run by Indian off spinner R Ashwin and practiced with the team in Madras. However, a ligament tear and aggravation of that injury cut short his playing days in the TNCA league “I had the joy of playing in the league for Ashwin's team and interacting regularly with his father Ravichandran. It was to overcome the disappointment of the leg injury and to continue to be associated with the game that I took to umpiring, inspired by the motivational words of and encouragement from Rajesh Kannan.” 

Kumbabhisekam work cuts short his Umpiring Plans

Following temple activist TR Ramesh’s (Worshippers Society TR Ramesh) ground work at the Chidambaram temple and Subramaniam Swamy’s handling of the case, the court directed handing back the temple to the Pothu Deekshithars earlier last decade after HR & CE had taken charge for a few years. When it was time for the Kumbabhisekam in 2015, the draw of lots at the temple turned in Kalyan Venkatesa Deekshithar’s favour and he was to be part of the committee for the consecration. This meant a lot of preparatory work through the year and he could not prepare for the Umpiring exam that was coming up at that time and he thus let go his umpiring ambitions. 

Having been in the corporate world and on the cricket field the previous decade he is now back full time in Chidambaram to continue the archaka service. During the pandemic, he has also been taking online Vedic Classes for about 15students to try and get the next gen entrenched in the Vedas.

                      With S Ravi in Madras

In the past the family had had around 100 days of annual archaka service at the temple. With his two sons becoming eligible for service,  the period of service in a year is likely to double to around 200days. This will keep Kalyana Venkatesa Deekshithar full time at the temple even though the last 12 months has been a tough period for him financially with restrictions on devotees’ entry into temples and consequent reduction in Kattalai. He is hoping that this will turn around soon with the reopening of temples.

While he is now focused on archaka service, once in a while he lets his mind get back into memories of the matches he played in Madras for Ashwins’ team and his days on the cricket field as a proud TNCA umpire that gave  him a lot of joy. 

Truly, one of a kind Deekshithar!!!

The decade when TN Cricket was rocked by age scandal

Over Aged Players predominantly from Santhome School were barred from taking part in matches in the second half of the 1980s after the scandal came to light but TNCA did little by way of tough actions to prevent this issue from resurfacing

'Talented boys who played true to their age were majorly impacted by this scandal' - Bharath Reddy, Country's most Successful Club Cricket Manager

Till the 1970s, there was no age categorization at the junior level in TN cricket with the only specification being 'schools cricket'. One only had to be a bona fide student of a school to play in the tournaments. The turn of the decade was marked by the creation of a number of age group categories. The 1980s saw various models being tried out - U17 and U15, U19 and U16 with U12/U13 too added later on. As the decade unfolded, this threw many different kinds of challenges and by the second half turned itself into an ugly scandal.

The 1980s saw Santhome dominate school cricket in the city but it was a phase that witnessed a number of its players caught in the fudging of age certificates. This came to light prior to the U15 state schools team's trip to Bangalore in November 1986. The TNCA was caught unawares when a stay was secured on a few players who had been selected for the state schools. A large majority of the players were from Santhome School and one from Gill Adarsh. Almost all of these 'over aged' players went on to play first division cricket for many years.

A Pre Cursor that served as a warning

Earlier that season, at a schools tournament organised by Don Bosco, this overage issue had flared up specifically relating to Santhome players and the team sent a different set of players for that tournament. And then much to everyone’s shock, those same set of players produced a different age proof certificate for the U15 state schools selection. With parents of other talented boys protesting right after, the TNCA relented and banned the boys for that State tournament after having selected and announced the squad of 15. While the plan was for the standbys to gain automatic entry into the squad, the TNCA actually organised a retrial and the squad was chosen afresh.

PSBB KK Nagar’s Promodh Sharma was one of those players in the standbys that season. He remembers the turn of events that week in October 1986 “As someone from PSBB, a not so recognized school in the cricketing fraternity, I always got the feeling that I was not watched at the nets by the selectors.  I believe that having an unknown kid bowl a few balls and having him bat for a few minutes may not be enough to spot the talent or potential. If the kid came from a school which did not have a cricketing pedigree, the chances diminished further.”

It was this feeling of Promodh and cricketers like him that Rajan Bala wrote that month way back in 1986 “During the trials, parents who were favoured got preferential treatment. Others were not even looked at and eliminated”.

“While I was in the camp and the thought process was that the standbys from the squad selected in October 86 would gain entry into the team after some of the players became ineligible following the over age issue, the TNCA conducted another trial and the standbys did not feature in that."

After the issue of over age came to light, Rajan Balan, in his story, questioned the very credibility of the trophies that Santhome had won in the previous years.

The School's Head and Coach should have been Questioned

Hemant Srivatsa(https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2015/04/hemant-srivatsa-cricketer-of-1980s.html), owner of Murrays Auction, was a top cricketer in that era. He had played for South Zone and Indian Schools by the mid 1980s and had joined first division team Alwarpet when he was just 15years old. More importantly, he has always been very vocal about how the game should be played. Everytime he has spoken to this writer over the last decade, he has expressed happiness at having quit cricket very early in his life. It should not have been that way for he was a formidable fast bowler who could rip into the opposition but he was done in by the system. 

He remembers the sour events in the second half of the 1980s “Many of the kids may not have known what was going on behind them. They were too young especially the U15s. In those days, the school used to send the list of players to the TNCA. While the TNCA enquired the over aged cricketers in full public view and the manner of their questioning was appalling, what they missed was questioning the school and its then coach. They should have called the head of the institution, the physical director and the coach to the TNCA and addressed these questions to them in front of the students but they failed to do so.”

The players were excluded for that tournament but then normalcy returned after a few months. TNCA failed to go to the root of this problem and did not work towards cutting the root so this issue did not crop up again. 

LU Arun (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2021/06/psbb-lu-arun-state-schools-south-zone.html), who was in the original squad, featured in the reselected team that went to Bangalore where he showcased his talent with some brilliant knocks that helped him gain a place in the South Zone team. PB Anand of Gill Adarsh was the captain selected in the original squad but he was one of the players who had become ineligible because of the overage issue and a districts cricketer VJV Narasimhan captained the TN Schools to Bangalore. 

September 1987- New Season and Over Age Issue again

Just under a year later, this issue re-surfaced again this time in Thanjavur in the City vs Districts match. Aashish Kapoor was the captain of this team but a stay on the eve of the match sent jitters in the TNCA. They were without a captain and once again many players had become ‘ineligible’.

Shocked as a Selector

PR Ramakrishnan who was in the TN Ranji squad in the early 1970s was part of the Selection panel that was present for that match. He says he was shocked the first time he heard it. Aashish Kapoor was to be the captain of the city team in Thanjavur but he was termed ineligible. “There was no age group cricket in the 60s and 70s and hence there was no question of this (over age issue) arising in that phase when I played my cricket. However, when it did crop up soon after age group cricket was launched, it came as a big shock to me. Cricket was supposed to be a gentleman’s game and this was fudging of records and a clear fraud. They were not fit to be ‘Cricketers’. There were influential parents, and the coach of the schools played a big part in this for without their consent much of this could not have been done. It had become some sort of a ‘racket’.”

He remembers Chairman of Selectors M Srinivasan’s reaction that day “Srinivasan was very dedicated and fought for talented youngsters. When suddenly a bunch of players became ineligible, he panicked and was at a loss of words. But City had to find replacement players, and soon.”

Ramakrishnan also recalls the scenario in the districts “In Coimbatore, we had put in place a strong system very early on. We were tough from the very beginning and acted with clarity. In fact, GR Prasad would  always go to the head of the institution and get their endorsement ahead of every tournament. It was important for the head of the school to certify as per the birth certificate in the school’s records and school's head had to be made accountable as far as the birth certificate endorsement was concerned.”

Cricket an ideal platform for Engineering Seat

Cricket was taking off in the country after India's victory in the 1983 World Cup and with every passing year parents began taking increasing interest in their son's cricketing activities which in some cases crossed the acceptable limits. It is something that Rajan Bala wrote way back then “Parents were seeing representative cricket for the State Schools as a platform to get admission into Engineering Colleges. And this triggered a series of actions that led to the overage scandal.”

Negatively Impacted the Talented Players

Talking to this writer from the US, the most successful of club managers in the country in the last four decades, Bharath Reddy (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2019/11/bharath-reddy-players-man.html) who had just completed his playing career in the mid 1980s and had begun focusing on cricket at Jolly Rovers, said, “The talented boys who played true to their age were majorly impacted by this scandal. Imagine an 18 year old playing in a U17 match against a 15 or 16 year old boy. The over aged boy is clearly at an advantage and with an exaggerated performance through such methods at the U15 and U17 levels, he is likely to get more opportunities in cricket including a quicker jump into the first division league while the talented boys who lost out through such unfair methods would possibly have quit cricket in frustration and gone on to pursue academics.”

“Clearly it had a big psychological impact on many children and forced them out of cricket sooner than they would have expected.”

Promodh looks back at that year and says that the TNCA acted in a way to protect their interest like every other governing body has done over the years when staring at a crisis.  “They took a decision and drafted in replacements as part of their damage control. In the process, some were lucky and others not so.”

Over age issues in Tennis in the US

R Vijayakumar, who was coached by AG Ram Singh and Rajan Bala in the 1980s and was a Tennis Coach in the US just over a decade ago, has been witness to a rampant over age issue in tennis in the US. He told this writer many years ago that there is a method to the madness. "Those that start this process at the U13 level carry this right up to the U17 level. In that period of 5-6 years (having started out at 11 or 12), the over aged kids would have won all the tournaments in U13, U15 and U17. Hence by the time they are 18 or 19, they are already seen as a local champion having achieved big success in the age group tourneys. That boosts their confidence levels as a winner. Hence there is a distinct advantage in playing against those aged way  below you especially in the 12-19 age group."

Bharath Reddy says that this over age issue was not restricted to Madras and that in the days he played for South Zone schools there were over aged boys playing from other states"‘Even though they had passed the schooling age, they would get back into school when they saw an opportunity to play at a national level like the Zonal Schools tourney or the Indian Schools trip or a schools match against a visiting team.”

How was the over age issue handled

As soon as the issue came to light, there was a lot of rumbling all around. While the players were replaced for the particular tournament, they came back later. Ramakrishnan is disappointed at the way the TNCA handled it then “The powers that be at that time had the opportunity to nip it in its bud at a very early stage.They should have taken strong action against the players. The TNCA should have arrested it then and there. It deserved big punishment in the longer term interest of the game, but really the TNCA did not do what it should have done at that time. ”

TNCA should have banned the school(s) for three years

Hemant Srivatsa who captained and helped districts beat the city captained the U19 TN team as a player from the Districts (he was at GCT, Coimbatore) in the mid 1980s. He says that the moment this came to light, not once but on multiple occasions, the TNCA should have banned the school(s) from participating in inter school tournaments. "That would have set a strong precedence and been a deterrent. But tough decisions were not taken at that time.”

Has the cricketing system changed since?

Promodh, who was impacted in the over aged issue back then, continues to play cricket now in Hongkong aged 50!!! He looks back 35 years after the over age issue first came to light and asks if the system in Madras / TN has changed at all in the period since he graduated out of school “The important question is what has been done since then to change the way the system works and to provide equal and fair opportunity to the talented. The system is changing albeit slowly with more accountability being brought in thanks to corporates who play a significant role in today’s cricket and being in the glaring eye of the social media.”

There have been cricketers who have reached the top even in recent years /decades bypassing the ( over age) system.

Bharath Reddy says that it has taken many years for a solution to be found. “It is only in the recent decade that bone test has come into play.”

Former Ranji Cricketer and coach of TN DJ Gokulakrishnan said the age old Issue of overage cricketers still  persist. "That's one of the reasons why on Rahul Dravid's recommendation, BCCI has come up with restrictions on a cricketer playing in only one u19 World Cup."

He says that the above restriction combined with a stringent punishment like a life ban for those found guilty is a welcome development.

Promodh(https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2020/05/promodh-sharma-cricketer-turned.html), who has faced many a corporate challenge in building a 80 million dollar global business in the garment sector, says that the system of bias and the role of godfathers still exist but he is confident that sooner than later this too will evolve and change to a format to reward the meritorious alone “We must believe we will see a day where talent has the final word over the power of position or social standing within and outside the confines of the ruling body.”

(This story has been edited a paragraph removed on Thursday evening - June 10)

TN Sripatham Petition HR & CE Minister

The TN Sripatham Sangam led by Kapaleeswarar’s Sankar present a written petition to the CM and the HR & CE Minister about their plight

"3.60Lakh family members of the TN Sri Patham carriers dependent on this service for their livelihood have been affected by the lockdown"

While they have an informal financial contract with the temples for Brahmotsavam and are paid a fairly large sum for the service, the lockdown over the last 12 months and the consequent cancellation of many of the big utsavams has hit them financially

Sripatham carriers are often a neglected lot. Their round the year selfless service usually goes unnoticed. They have been in for a tough time over the last 12 months with temple restrictions arising out of the pandemic hitting them hard. 

In a first of its kind move, the informal group of TN Sripatham Sangam has presented a written petition to the TN CM Thiru M.K. Stalin and the HR & CE Minister Thiru P Sekar Babu last Friday.  This was signed and presented on behalf of the TN Sripatham Sangam by Sripatham K Sankar, who is a Mestri of the Mylapore Temples Sripatham team.

The petition says that 3.60Lakh family members of the Sri Patham carriers in TN are dependent on this service for their livelihood. In the last 12 months, since the announcement of the first lockdown, the Sripatham families have undergone a lot of stress with many of them not being able to pay the house rent and the fees of their children’s education.  

He says that many of them are in a stage where even finding the finances for the next lunch has become a challenge. They also perform various other services relating to Theppotsavam and Brahmotsavam.

Sankar is a leader of the Mylapore Temples Sripatham and anchors the conduct of the processions in many temples in Mylapore. He has been serving as a Sri Patham carrier in Mylapore temples for the last 25years. His forefathers too had carried the Lords of Mylapore on their shoulders for several decades. He also organizes the ‘Pandal’ and 'Thoranam' in Mylapore temples during the big utsavams. Sankar and the team of 60Sripatham members carry on their shoulder Kapaleeswarar, Madhava Perumal, Kesava Perumal and Venkatesa Perumal of Mari Chetty Street in addition to  the Lord of many other temples in Mylapore. 

Informal Financial Contract with the temple

The Sripatham group have an informal financial contract with the temple for their service. Many of these temples pay them quite a large amount for their service especially during the Brahmotsavam when there are two Vahana Processions each day. In addition to this, the Sripatham also collect money from the residents and shops during the Brahmotsavam processions.

The last day of the Kapali Brahmotsavam 

For years, it is a well known fact around the Mada Streets that on the 11th day of the Panguni Brahmotsavam at the Kapaleeswarar Temple, the Sripatham collect huge amounts of money from the residents of the four streets including from all the shops. This year, the procession on that final day took several hours as the Sripatham were in collection mode from these residents. The Sripatham even decide on the amount of money that they (the residents / shops) should pay for their service during the Brahmotsavam and more often than not it has become a tradition for this amount to be paid to them on the final day of the utsavam. Else, the procession does not move like it stood for almost an hour in front of the Karpagambal mess on that 11th day!!! 

At the Kapaleeswarar Temple too, the Sripatham is chosen based on a tender process similar to the one Parthasarathy temple. 

Feedback from TN Sripatham members

Sankar told this writer that prior to the full lockdown, he and his team went around TN Temples including Thiruvannamalai and Mannargudi to engage in discussions with the Sripatham personnel in many of the temples to understand their issues. It was following the feedback from Sripatham across the state that they decided to present their case to the Government.

He is hoping that the newly elected government will look into the issues relating to the Sripatham and provide an appropriate solution. 

Five Specific Requests

In the written petition, a copy of which is available with this writer,the TN Sripatham members have placed five specific requests before the TN CM and the HR & CE Minister. He has asked them to be included in the list of workers in the unorganised sector, to reopen the temples to processions as soon as possible, to stop the tender process for Sripatham selection every year/periodic intervals, to take proactive steps to prevent accidents during street processions that have many times put the lives of the Sripatham at risk and to consider them for temple service posts when the vacancy arises.

Sripatham Models in TN

Multiple models are in existence in temples across the state. In the Parthasarathy temple in Thiruvallikeni, the Sripatham is chosen through a tender process and for well over a decade it is the traditionalists who have carried the Lord on the shoulder, while in Srirangam, the Sripatham are HR & CE staffers who double up in other temple work when there are no processions. Over the last 50 years, Srirangam Vethal Service, an informal group of over 300 volunteers based in and around Srirangam, have been providing selfless service of carrying the Lord, especially on long street processions, in addition to the official HR & CE appointed ‘Sri Patham Thangis’. It is with the support of these volunteers that the long trips of Namperumal are managed. At the privately adminstered Vedantha Desikar Srinivasa Perumal Temple in Mylapore, the Sripatham group is completing 75years. 

In many of the temples in Mylapore, it is the Sripatham Sangam members who are involved in all the processions. Sankar told this writer that he is confident that the TN CM and the HR &CE minister will provide a favourable solution in the next few days to help them overcome the current financial stress. He said that opening up the temples will help them with positive energy and a peace of mind that is so lacking currently.  It will also help them financially as they get Sambhavanai from devotees while on a procession.

PSBB LU Arun State Schools South Zone Cricketer

He top scored in the State Schools final and played with Rahul Dravid for South Zone against Sachin Tendulkar in 1986. The next season he created waves with a fighting century in the TNCA final but much like Hemant Srivatsa and Anish Thomas quit serious cricket as a teenager after failing to secure the Engineering seat in Anna University

Arun’s century has been the best knock played against Santhome in the last 40years - Srinivasa Rao, Santhome Coach

It is 5.30pm at the Singaram Street corner in T. Nagar on the eve of the grand TNCA final end of January 1988. This writer was witness to more than half the PSBB team gathering in front of the then popular Sairam Typewriting institute. Unfortunately, even though it was a great entry into the final for what was considered in the TNCA circles as an un-fancied side, the spirit was low. While the PSBBians were high on intellect, the discussion that evening centered around their bowling spearhead the tall and lanky new ball bowler Dinesh Guhan and what his fate was likely to be the next day. It was a surprise even to those boys to have reached the final of such a prestigious tournament that in the previous decades had remained the domain of Don Bosco (K Balaji) and MCC(Bharath Reddy) and which at the start of the 1980s had become almost the exclusive possession of Santhome, for they had begun to dominate city cricket like never before. And this match they saw as one between David and Goliath. The prospect of facing Santhome and especially bowling to Aashish was to be an overwhelming experience. 

They were already beaten in their minds that evening and this reflected in the way they bowled the next morning at the University Union ground. The apprehensions of the previous evening had come true. Aashish continued his scintillating form with another dominating century in the final. Rajiv Shah and KM Suresh too scored centuries as Santhome topped 450 that day and even left a bit of batting that evening for the PSBB openers. It was a target that was unlikely to be chased. But one man played the innings of his life and despite the gloom of the crashing defeat, the evening conversation in the city’s cricket circles centered around the brilliant century against Aashish Kapoor’s unplayable off spin. At 16, one thought he would be in for the long haul but he quit cricket in the next few months and was never heard again in the cricket circles. Last month this section featured a story on a sportswoman, Nirupama Vaidyanathan (Nirupama) who quit academics at 17 to pursue a career in Tennis. Here’s the story of  a story of a South Zone cricket who quit cricket to continue academics and has now been an Infoscian for a couple of decades.

LU Arun and his cousin R Vijayakumar began their cricket at Somasundaram ground in their early teens. Rangarajan Ramabhadran, now CFO, Kalpathi Investments put together three tennis ball teams that went on to play flood light cricket that was starting to take off in the city in the second half of the 1980s.

Rangarajan’s tennis ball team mate at Somasundaram ground and now AGM at IOB, Nitin Parekh was a feared left armer in the 1980s and youngsters in T. Nagar used to look up to him when he practiced at the Somasundaram Ground. Rangarajan and Nitin Parekh were integral early members of this group that met every evening at the Somasundaram ground not far from where Gurumurthy was running his academy.

Elegant and Stroke Filled

Like V Krishnaswamy(Kicha), Nitin too has worked in an overseas branch. Talking to this writer from Bombay, where he is currently heading the Nariman Point Branch, he said that Arun stood out as a cricketer even in those early days “The bespectacled Arun was a young slim boy. I corrected his batting stance at the Somasundaram ground as a young teenager who had just started out on cricket. He was elegant and stroke filled even then. It was a treat to watch him bat.”

As Good as N Gautam

Rangarajan resided on Kuppuswamy Street where RBI’s flamboyant striker Ramdayani too lived, a few hundred yards away the Arun’s iconic home atop Sairam Typewriting Institute on Singaram Street.  He was active in local cricket in the 1980s during the years he was pursuing his CA. He would finish his article-ship, rush to the Somasundaram ground for that un-missable tennis ball cricket and would then speed away to the evening college. It became his routine for three years. Rangarajan recalls the way they used to develop cricketing technique in the 1980s at the Somasundaram Ground “We used to have a goal post and the batsmen had to play their within the two posts. Arun was not yet 15 but showed great temperament and technique to play in the 'V' and within the goal post. He was a good fielder and was mature for his age.”

“Watching him bat there at Soma, my expectations were raised. I really thought he would go places. He had all the requisites of being a top notch batsman. In fact, at that age, he was as good as N Gautam both in talent as well as in Character.”

(Gautam was one of the most hard working and sincere cricketers of that generation)

Most Embarrassing Moment in School Cricket

Into his early teens, along with some tennis ball cricket at Somasundaram ground, he had also begun to practice at his school nets. Clearly, PSBB Nungambakkam was not one of the top cricket schools of the time. Sunny Ramesh had been a star in the first half of the 80s but really there was not much else to write home about. There was not even a full fledged team kit when Arun first played for the school. The PT Master doubled up as the coach. In his class VIII, he remembers the school being shot out for 18 against Don Bosco that during the decade boasted of players such as Siddharth Meddappa, his younger brother Satyajit, Tanvir Jabbar, Vijay Nirmal and Rohit Mahendra. It was one of his most embarrassing days in cricket. May be he had decided that day that he would transform the way cricket was played at school and help build a team that would give the top teams a run for their money.

As the next generation of cricketers took over at PSBB Nungambakkam, the team began to perform better. S Kedarnath, former SBI opener, moved in from KK Nagar to Nungambakkam as the coach. Epic battles were fought between Nungambakkam and KK Nagar (PSBB). LU Arun began to make rapid strides as a middle order batsman. He also bowled out-swingers with the new ball. 

Rarely spoke a word, but a tremendous competitor on the field

Cricketer turned million dollar entrepreneur Promodh Sharma (Promodh) was a star performer for PSBB KK Nagar and had many an encounter with Arun. He looks back at the second half of the 1980s when Arun often proved a thorn in the flesh “I remember LU (Arun) as a kind and soft spoken person, a gentleman so to speak. He was very measured and rarely spoke a word out of place. On the field he was a tremendous competitor!!He was a brilliant batsman who could very quickly take a game away from you. He was very talented and capable of building an innings or scoring quickly all around the ground, as the situation demanded. Getting him out was always special and if you were in the opposition and got LU early, the chances of your success increased manifold.”

K Anand, who has been a banker for over two decades and now an independent consultant played for PSBB KK Nagar in those years in the late 80s. He remembers the APSC final, then a popular tournament for CBSE institutions “We beat them in one of the finals but only after we managed to get LU (Arun) out. He scored a brilliant 93 on a matting wicket which was quite uneven in bounce pacing his innings beautifully and was unlucky to miss his hundred getting out to a ball that kept low. He was one of the most feared batsmen and would come between us and victory.”

Captain PB Anand shown the door

A year later the batting talent came to the fore. Impressive performances for the school led him into the U15 city team that went to Erode for the Districts match. He was selected for the TN State Schools team that was announced in the fourth week of October 1986 with PB Anand as the captain. The team was set to travel to Bangalore in the 2nd week of November. However, just ahead of the tournament, the father of Russel Radhakrishnan (Book Sellers and more recently of CSK fame) threw a bombshell that stunned the TNCA. Picking up the (real) date of birth of several cricketers in that TN squad, he raised objections. Original captain PB Anand was in the list of over aged players and was removed from the squad with the captaincy being handed to districts boy VJE Narasimhan.

Rajan Bala in his story on November 4, 1986 questioned the trophies won by Santhome in the previous years with 5 cricketers from the school being reported for producing false age certificates. All of them were dropped from the originally chosen squad including the captain.  Rajan Bala pointed out that there was pride involved in playing for the State and it was not like playing for the school and hence called for the TNCA to take strong action against these players. Of course, as seen later in the story, this issue resurfaced the next year as well. 

Talking to this writer from Houston, USA, cousin Vijayakumar remembers that tense evening in Madras “Arun was just 14years old and it was his first big tour. It was a big deal to be chosen for Tamil Nadu especially from a school like PSBB which had not been in the cricketing radar. It was quite tense. I accompanied his mother late in the evening that November day to send him off (Bangalore Mail) at the Central Station in Madras”

Tops the Batting Chart for TN 

Arun had a terrific few weeks in Bangalore. Mujibur Rehman was in prime form but Arun matched him run for run. In the semi final against Andhra, while Mujib scored 47, Arun was not far behind with a knock of 32 as TN gained a slender first innings lead. Former IOB man and now a match referee Amit Pathak too was in his first season for Andhra. He remembers running into a rampant Mujib “It was my first match for Andhra. Mujib was at his blistering best even then and he smashed us in the second innings chasing out a target of just under 70 in 8oversand we were thrashed in no time. Arun was quiet and performed unnoticed and usually he was not in the limelight unlike a Mujib. While Mujib and I went to Nagpur the next year, I did not hear again of Arun.” 

                               Amit Pathak

In the final of the Pattabhiraman trophy against Hyderabad that included Vanka Pratap, Arun top scored with a knock of 75 after Mujib and Reuben Paul had failed at the top of the order. The strong performances in these matches earned him a place in South Zone squad that travelled to play West at Cuttack.

Mujibur Rehman was already making waves in the city circles with his blistering knocks at the top of the order. He recalls playing with Arun in the state schools matches in Bangalore and then the South Zone match in December 86 against West Zone, a team that included Sachin Tendulkar “Arun was a quiet guy and did not talk much.”

That was the way Arun was, then, and has always been ever since. It is a typical reference from everyone that has known him. He did not allow the early success to get to his head and remained grounded in that phase of life. Even in the photo of the South Zone, he chose a position that would not disclose his face!!!! (photograph below)

In the final Mujib once again gave a dashing start. Vanka Pratap told this writer from the Rajiv Gandhi Stadium in Hyderabad of the two consecutive zonal centuries he scored in his school phase. Batting at No. 6, lower than usual, Arun did not score much but South Zone won the match thanks to Vanka’s century.

                              Vanka Pratap

Rajan Bala makes a difference

It was during this period that Rajan Bala began a summer camp for PSBB boys in the Old Ground near Moopaathamman temple (Krishna Gana Sabha). Arun’s cousin Vijayakumar, who studied at Venkatasubba Rao School too joined the camp. The coach was instantly impressed with Vijayakumar’s talent that he was keen to have him move to PSBB as he felt it would add to the school’s cricketing strength that was on an upsurge that year. But as was the case in those years, even extraordinary sporting talent could not gain entry into that school on sporting grounds alone and the school refused an admission. Had Rajan Bala brought him to the attention of Santhome and St. Bedes, it is likely they would have grabbed him and his cricketing life may have been different.

South Zone team 1986 with Rahul Dravid and Sujit Somasudar

Rajan Bala's Role in Arun's Cricket

By now, Arun had become a star at school with his performances for the state. The Summer Camp of Rajan Bala transformed the lives of the boys. The confidence gained that summer began to reflect in the performance of the school team as they began to win matches more frequently. Promodh Sharma who was also part of that camp says that Rajan Bala had the foresight and vision to see what was coming "The PSBB team had begun to do well and he envisaged a strong performance in the TNCA schools tournament. He organised two day practice matches in the summer that helped build temperament. He was a visionary in cricket."

Arun too believes that Rajan Bala was the biggest influence on his cricket career. It was Rajan Bala who brought in first division stars such as CS Suresh Kumar to play matches against the young boys that summer  "I was a transformed person after being coached by Rajan Bala and the entire team was positively influenced by him. Playing against top first division players gave us a lot of confidence and when we went back to play the school matches, the confidence reflected in our performances. I would go to his house with some of my teammates and he would show us Bodyline videos and the different ways to use the  bowling crease."

Overaged Players in TN School cricket

In the next season, the age related issues once again flared after the City team was announced. Left arm spinner B Balaji who had captained the TN state schools in 1985 recounts the turn of events “Mujib and I were chosen to play U22 in Bangalore. But with the age issues coming up once again, Aashish Kapoor, the original captain had to sit out and I was asked at the last moment to go to Thanjavur to captain the side after which I left for Bangalore for the U22 match.”

Arun was part of the U17 team as well but it was really the last of his association with TN cricket.

Beaten by Arun

The year 87-88 saw the best year for PSBB Nungambakkam in a long time. Under the captaincy of Arun, the team had turned around. B Balaji who was Arun’s captain in the U17 city match after he replaced Aashish Kapoor remembers Arun from a School match “It was a period dominated by Santhome and St. Bedes and hence we (St. Bedes) were confident of a quarter final victory against the unknown PSBB side from Nungambakkam and almost took them for granted. However, we were single handedly beaten by Arun’s brilliant knock. He was that kind of a player who could take the match away from you on his own.”

“Despite the match winning knock, he remained a very quiet guy, did not display much of an emotion even in victory.”

The Best ever knock against Santhome

And then the biggest of it all for Arun. PSBB Nungambakkam reached the final of the TNCA tournament against a strong Santhome side that had won most of the trophies in the preceding years. The PSBB team was not particularly confident in facing Aashish and Co and the pre match talk at the Singaram Street corner pretty much revolved around managing Aashish. As feared, Aashish ravaged the attack at the University Union ground and with centuries from Rajiv Shah and KM Suresh, Santhome declared just under an hour before close of day 1 with the team having topped 450. Arun went into bat on the second morning with very little hopes of a chase. But in the next few hours he gave a glimpse of his attacking stroke play that left everyone stunned. PSBB did collapse after Arun’s dismissal but by then he had given the cricketing circles in the city an indication of where he belonged!!!  

Srinivasa Rao, Santhome coach of over three decades and now Senior Manager at the TNCA recounts the turn of events at the Union Ground “LU Arun played the best knock ever against Santhome that I have seen in the last four decades. Any team would have been demoralized chasing 400 plus but Arun spearheaded a superb fight back and took it to the opposition. He was not intimidated by the strength of the opposition and never gave up that day. Even Aashish was put to the sword. Finally, it was lesser known bowlers of the time, Gokul Subramanian and Elango who got us the breakthroughs. In terms of the quality of the knock, I would rate it right up there as the best against Santhome, especially given the context of the match when he came into bat in that final.”

“Everyone who saw his innings that day was impressed. I rated him very high. He had it in him to make it to the top. But we did not hear much of him in the coming years.”

Tamil Nadu’s All Time Great Sharath, who was a 15year old at that time, recalls meeting Srinivasa Rao outside the St. Bedes ground to enquire about the fate of the match. 30+ years later, Sharath distinctively remembers the feedback from Rao that evening “A guy called LU Arun played one of the best knocks that I have seen and scored a century but we won the trophy.”

Sharath remembers Arun as a solid bat with attractive strokes and wonders why he was not in the news again.

Handling of Aashish Kapoor was stunning

Former IOB wicketkeeper and this writer’s teammate at YMCA (TSR) B Venkatesh watched every ball of that ‘celebrated’ innings in the TNCA final in January 1988 for he was Santhome’s keeper “Aashish was almost unplayable at the school level in that phase but Arun was brilliant that day. The way he played Aashish was stunning.”

“We played together at U17 but he was always aloof and quiet. With the city and state side dominated by a few schools, he was a lone man in the pack from PSBB Nungambakkam.”

I was always referred to as Arun’s cousin

Talking to this writer from Houston, Texas, US, Vijayakumar, an aggressive all rounder who once scored top knock in a Thumps-Up TNCA tourney match and a scorching league century in the 1980s was often referred to even in school circles as Arun’s cousin. While they were the nephews of CB Selvakumar, who was known in the city circles for his swashbuckling knocks including the double hundred in 30overs, Vijaykumar came to be known as Arun’s cousin in those years than Chelli’s nephew “Such was his performance in cricket in those couple of years in the late 80s that wherever I went, people saw me as Arun’s Cousin. His centuries in the tournaments caught the eye not just of the powers that be in cricket but also of school teachers and tuition masters and that gave me a sudden brand name. For a period in my life, I had become 'Arun's Cousin'.”

Aashish Kapoor, the captain who lifted the trophy on the second evening told this writer from his home in Delhi that Arun’s was the shining light that day and the lone bright spot “while just one innings does not help one go up the ladder, he was definitely talented and had the potential.”

Never one abusive word 

Dinesh Guhan, now a finance professional working in Houstan, Texas, was the star fast bowler of the PSBB Nungambakkam team and had been a significant contributor to the team with the new ball. He was the one who had to face the initial fury of Aashish and VS Sriram that January morning at Union. He looks back at his cricketing years with his captain “‘LU’ as we all called him was my first cricket captain in high school.  While he commanded respect initially due to his amazing talent, I saw him develop into a strong leader by the time we moved into our senior year in high school. “

“All of us remember the amazing century that he hit during the 1988 school championship final against Santhome High School, a perennial powerhouse. However, my fondest memories of him was during a coaching session when he pulled me aside and exhorted me to start getting serious about my physical fitness and to get stronger (as an opening new ball bowler) if I wanted to make an impact as part of the team. “

“He had a very calm personality and demeanor and I have never seen him utter one abusive word ever. Also, he was never one to talk about himself and let his bat do most of the talking.”  

Fumma (Sriram) was an off spinner in the late 1980s who modeled his action on the lines of John Emburey. He trained under legendary TE Srinivasan. He refers to Arun as a ‘Silent Bloke’ who was precise with his straight drive “He was a great cricketer of the time and a wonderful stroke filled batsman. Whether on the cricket field or on our very own Singaram street pitch, he had his stance and grip firm and was full of concentration.”

A Geek who could smash the bowling

Vijay Nirmal who runs the Prasad Cricket Club in the TNCA league is now a Vice President at HDFC Bank in Madras where he manages high Networth individuals. He played for TN state at all age group levels in the late 1980s and early 90s. He is the son of Prof Nandakumar, who was part of the selection panel that chose the U15 team in 1986. He recounts the period in the late 1980s when he played with and against Arun “He was very fluent and aggressive. Behind the specs, he was like a geek but could smash the bowling around on his day.”

                          Vijay Nirmal

Quits Cricket @ 17 after having played State Schools and South Zone

For obvious reasons - as the 1989 Class XII Board exams neared, the focus shifted to academics. Following the century of his life, Tuitions and Tests became a way of life for the next 12months. For most PSBBians of that generation, sports had to take a back seat when they moved into Class XII. He had played State Schools and was alongside Rahul Dravid and Sujit Somasundar in the South Zone schools and against Sachin. He had been in the form of his life and showed him to be a class apart.

But alas as things unfolded in the summer of 1989, Arun much like Hemant Srivats (Murrays Auction) earlier that decade and Anish Thomas just after him lost in the race for that coveted seat in Anna University. Having played State Schools and having secured high grade in Class XII, he should have got an automatic sports quota seat but the son of a political bigwig secured that seat. 

It was almost a slap in the face for Arun. His high performance in cricket in the preceding couple of years for the state seemed to count for nothing. It was only in the last minute after he lost that seat to the politico that he went and joined Engineering in Melmaruvathur. And like Hemant Srivats went away from Madras at the peak of his cricketing life and cricket was laid to rest. He spent a major part of the month at the college and only visited his home on select weekends. He never got back into cricket again thought he played lower division league cricket including a match winning knock against this writer at the Dunlop Cricket ground but by this time he had begun to play only the odd match when he was in the city and more for the love of the game.

His cousin Vijayakumar joined VIT (Vellore) in 1989 and quit cricket as a teenager. Just a couple of years prior, he hit the top tier of the PS High School building playing in a league match. In his case, he did not grab the attention in the cricketing circles despite a top knock of 88 against a superior bowling attack in a Thumps up Trophy school match and a top notch league century. 

Promodh Sharma(Promodh Cricket 2021), then of PSBB KK Nagar and now an entrepreneur in Hongkong, remembers that knock “I was fielding against Mujibur’s Gill Adarsh at the St. Bedes Ground. At the next ground was this school boy putting the opposition bowling to the sword. Even though the star personality Mujibur was batting against us, my attention was Vijayakumar. It was easily one of the best knocks I have seen for a teenage cricketer. But despite a knock of  88, he failed to grab the attention in the cricketing circles for he came from an unknown Venkatasubba Rao. He remained ‘unspotted’ and predictably very soon, faded away from cricket.”

PSBB’s All Time Best All Rounder

Kedarnath came into PSBB Nungambakkam after Arun had established himself as a Zonal Player. He had previously been coaching PSBB KK Nagar. He remembers Arun as one the best all rounder PSBB has produced in the last 40years “He was an outstanding out-swing bowler in school cricket and was delightful to watch with a bat in hand. Clearly, TNCA did not have a process in place to groom talented youngsters. Arun should have played higher levels of cricket given the scores he ran up in those years but opportunities were limited. Even with half a mind on academics, he performed very well and was an outstanding achiever in his time.”

Kedarnath points out that the students of PSBB were quick to shift their focus from sports to academics once into Class XII “While he was a hugely talented cricketer, he quit the game early to focus on academics that was typical of the PSBB mindset of those years.”

Downward Spiral of Disappointment and Despair

Hemant Srivatsa(Hemant), owner of Murrays Auction, was a star bowler for Vidya Mandir in the mid 80s and played U19 South Zone and against Australia. He had signed up for Alwarpet while still at school and was developing into a great left armer under the mentorship of PK Dharmalingam. He had done everything to gain a seat in Anna University but he lost out on it and spent four years at his cricketing peak in Coimbatore. He looks back at the challenges of moving away from Madras at 17 “In Madras, we had net practice for Alwarpet CC thrice a week and I learnt a lot bowling to WV Raman, PC Prakash, R Madhavan, Srikkanth etc whereas practice in Coimbatore meant I had to bowl at half pace so that my college mates don't get injured!”

“But most importantly, I think it is the mental thing. The fact that you feel let down by a system you believed in and the blatant abuse of clout gets into your head when you spend those countless hours all alone in the hostel away from home for the first time. And at 16-17, one doesn't have the mental maturity to not get bogged down by it. Without your parents and coach to guide you, you get sucked into the downward spiral of disappointment and despair and your game suffers as a result.”

Over Two Decades at Infosys

Later Arun joined Infosys and has been there for well over two decades in a completely contented and happy state of mind with no complaints about cricket or life. Management Consultant Pradeep Chakravarthy worked in Infosys for a few years. Arun and Pradeep drove together every morning to the Shozhinganallur facility during this period. Pradeep recalls his association with Arun “I found him to be a very considerate, soft spoken and friendly person. He would always listen patiently, find a way to summarise it succinctly in a way that it works for me and the team without compromising his own thought process. The ‘give and take’ was always very powerfully felt in a conversation with him. He was a quiet guy but sincere at everything he did.” 

Kalpathi Investments’ Rangarajan, who reached the final of the flood light tennis ball tournament in his first foray, is saddened at the way things transpired for Arun during the later part of his teenage years “As I look back now 35years later, I am disappointed that he did not go the full distance. He quit cricket too early for my liking to focus on academics. Having played South Zone Schools before he had touched 15, I expected him to get into the top of the TNCA league and graduate to the next level. Instead he quit cricket altogether leaving me with the feeling that he did not reach his potential and ended up an underachiever in cricket.”

Vijayakumar who secured a seat in VIT and quit cricket that year watched Arun very closely in those few months following the Class XII results “A seat in Anna University in 1989 would have led him to continue to stay in Madras and his cricketing career may have taken a positive turn. But the fact that he did not get the sports quota seat despite a strong performance in the State Schools and South Zone and he had to move out of Madras for his collegiate education left him frustrated and he quit serious cricket at 17, which was unfortunate because he would have been a real talent for TN.”

Spotting of rare talent and nurturing them, especially if it came from the not so fancied schools, did not happen in the 1980s. And getting into the TNCA league too did not happen without the right contacts.  Arun and Vijayakumar chose not to pitch their cases with any contacts they may have had and played the game as it should be – by scoring runs on the field.

Arun, who along with his cousin R Vijayakumar- who this writer rates as, as good a batsman T Nagar had seen in the second half of the 1980s - did not find the right mentors despite them being the nephew of CB Selvakumar. Having played cricket for the state schools and the zone, Arun did not find guidance into a higher division (first) league team in that phase. Back then, he was very quiet and all to himself, like he is now 35 years later allowing life to take its course. 

Arun displayed very little emotions as a 17 year old. Hailing from a middle class family, the focus clearly was on academics and in his case an Engineering Seat. The fact that he did not get one in Madras meant his cricket met with a rather premature end. Ever since, he has not once exhibited any sense of regret at not carrying forward his cricketing interests after having played with and against Rahul Dravid and Sujith Somasundar and against the likes of Sachin Tendulkar. He accepted the opportunities that came its way in life, both in cricket and elsewhere. He has been at Infosys for over two decades and leading a normal life. 

Had he secured that coveted seat at Anna University in 1989, this story may well have been one on a cricketer who made it to the top of TN cricket for he was a hugely talented cricketer with attractive strokes and great mental character.  1980s was not a decade for T.Nagarians to venture out full time into cricket and this silent cricketer decided that he had had enough of it by the time he was 17, a lot sooner than two other stars of that period, MS Anand and Sunny Ramesh, who gave it a few more years before making their overseas foray away from cricket.

Arun probably goes back once in a while to the years from the 1980s reflecting within himself the joys cricket had given him in those 2-3years when he was at the top as a school boy. 

This story will leave with the only words Arun had for this story "I did not have the conviction and chose the safer path. The risks were too high in cricket and the fall back options did not seem good enough."