Pre-Phoenix: My Life and cricket is so much inter related. Cricket still has inherent space in my itinerary. I started playing cricket very early in my life. From my school days I used to play cricket with the people in my locality. My neighbor Kannan Anna is my idol. I have seen him play some very astounding innings with both tennis and cricket ball. He made me play cricket with him. I was not playing a big deal of high profile cricket till I reached my 10th.
Till my 10th – We used to play the cricket in very quiet manner. Especially we will be playing beside Sivaraman home. He is my best buddy. I will be in his home more than in my home at my schooling days. He is really brilliant in studies also in playing. We play real quiet but aggressive cricket. I can even remember Srihari, Velmurugan, Satish kumar and others accompany us in the ground. Our profiling was a bit low and we also didn’t want any high profile.
When I was in my 10th leave, I had substituted for some in Kannan Anna team. In the quarters of flood light match they lost so many players because of various reasons and I was handed my first cap. I was told to bowl the 2nd over. I was really astonished to see bowl was coming at my side as I was very young at that time. I bowled pretty well. My bowling figures were 3-1-10-2. I got 2 wickets which I really relish still now. But I can’t say it about the match as we lost by about 20 runs chasing 91. I was the No.11 in the team and I faced just 2 balls without scoring. Also I didn’t trouble the scorers as I lost my partner next over. We lost but it was first match of mine.
Then once again I was back to normal flow and we will play in Audco ground where we played some of the older guys and beat them. The thing of winning gave me an opportunity to play in the Nagar Friends team and I took it as much as possible. I blossomed as a cricketer in their team. We have had many number of matches in which I had played really well and my bowling and batting both got well augured. I became a full time cricketer in that team. I am really thankful to that team mates for really making me think like a good player. They showed me my true potential and I am very thankful to Vicky, Dharma, Anand and Munees. I felt my own when I played with them and try to give my best all the time when I play for them.
Seldom i will be playing with my friends in weekends and we also went to a tournament. My team name was Anchor. It was a 6 wicket tournament. We played to see our profile. In the first match we beat Park Friends by 10 runs. Then came the match which showed our potential. We beat Keelakaranai team by 5 wickets, inside 2 over’s we finished the match after we had bowled them out for 17.
Next match is my career turning point match. We needed 56 off 6 over’s. We fielded brilliantly and shut them down to 55. We were 21 for 0 in 3.5 over’s, when my teammate susil ran himself out by backing up too far. I came inside without knowing what is gonna happen in the next 10 balls. Next over was bowled by arvind, my classmate. I hit 31 runs in an over and the equation was turned to 4 in an over from 35 of 2 over’s I got out in the final over but we coasted home without hiccups. Till date I can say it was my best innings and brought out the batsmen ship in me. We eventually lost to Nagar Friends in the finals by 30 runs but our heads was held high and I was adjudged man of the tournament which was the starting of good things to come our team was Ravi, Shiva, Sati, vel, Ragha and susil.
Then in that year lights I played for Nagar friends and it showed my potential to everyone. I was asked to open the innings and I took it as I had many big hitters in my team and so safeguard them I went for opening. But I started playing well and we scored 88 in 10 over’s and I scored 45 out of it. A first real important innings of my lifetime and I was very much happy I played well. Also it was my transformation from No.11 to No.1 in 2.5 years that surprised many. After the lights knock I got some more responsibilities and I coped with it with ease and my cricketing life was going at ease with the Nagar Friends team. Till July 2007 my cricketing life was with them and all I will do is to go and play and come. I will not be chatting too much as I do to my fellow friends. It doesn’t mean that I under performed at any time. They also know I played with my whole heart in their team.
In the coming Posts i will be sharing my Experiences
POST-PHOENIX!!!!!!!!!!
