Chennai played a crucial part in my career, says Sodhi

December 25, 2014 01:41 am | Updated 01:41 am IST - Chennai:

Harvinder Singh Sodhi.

Harvinder Singh Sodhi.

Madhya Pradesh had its first substantial result of the current Ranji Trophy season when it earned three points for the first innings lead against Tamil Nadu on Wednesday. The man in charge of the team is someone who knows the city well.

MP coach Harvinder Singh Sodhi was among the first batch of trainees of the MRF Pace Foundation in 1988.

He played for Globe Trotters, MCC and India Pistons in Chennai’s leagues as a seamer, and even represented Tamil Nadu in the under-17 and under-19 tournaments.

“This city played a crucial part in my career. I came here when I was 17, and the cricket I played here really helped me become a first-class cricketer, for 14 years,” says Sodhi.

“The chance to bowl against the likes of W.V. Raman, K. Srikkanth, and Robin Singh in the nets, and the Indian players during camps was a big exposure. I was just out of school, and bowling to top cricketers helped boost my confidence.”

Madhya Pradesh’s best result in the Ranji Trophy was making the final of the 1998-99 edition against Karnataka.

Highlight

“It was the highlight of my career,” says Sodhi.

“We went into the season after winning the domestic ODI tournament. We were ahead for most part of the game, until the last day when we messed up and lost.”

Sodhi recorded a five-wicket haul in the contest.

Incidentally, Devendra Bundela, the current MP skipper, is the sole surviving member from that team. Sodhi, who spent time as a match referee and then became part of MP’s selection committee, says Bundela’s presence influenced his decision to take charge of the team this year.

It is a challenge to mould a young group into a successful unit, but it is one, he says, he is enjoying.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.