Amidst a flock of Kollywood stars at the Gymkhana Club, a cricket coach calls the shots. Sashikant gets Nandha to target a lone stump. As the actor attacks it with a tireless string of medium-paced deliveries, the 69-year-old coach encourages him, “You have the speed and the line. If you get the direction right, the package will be complete.” He next turns his attention to actor Bharath, telling him his slot is in the middle order.
When actor Vikranth gets the ball to nip off the wicket with his copy-book bowling action and later whacks it around with sweetly-timed shots, Sashikant can't hide his admiration. “He is the team's main batsman and bowler. As a batsman, he fits in anywhere in the top order.”
Serious about the game
These players are practising for a 20-20 match against Tollywood stars (in Dubai today). With their remarkable batting and bowling skills, all of them can easily pass off for League cricketers. In fact, two League bowlers — Anand Prasad and Raman Prasad — have been roped in to bowl to them. Completing the professional make-up of the group are physio Shiva and trainer Jagan.
As a student of Santhome School, Vikranth excelled in cricket and scaled various levels of the game. He had represented the State in Under-16 and the city in Under- 19 cricket. Bharath has undergone cricket coaching. Bowling off-spin with a neat follow-through action and a tight line, he proves it.
In fact, no one appears to be a slouch. Santhanu hits some thundering shots in the ‘V' region (mid-on and mid-off), often forcing bystanders to hurriedly get out of harm's way. Captain Abbas is modesty personified. He keeps saying his cricket is not up to the mark, even after an impressive show with the bat. Since Shyam, another key batsman, times the ball well, the middle order looks solid. ‘Jeyam' Ravi arrives late. With his entry, there is a palpable change in mood. There is more banter. The stars interact with an easy familiarity, even making good-humoured fun of each other.
Such light moments are rare in a session of serious, focussed cricket. “These players are serious about the game,” says M.A. Parthasarathy of Star Trac, which organised two Kollywood-Tollywood matches in 2006 — one at Sharjah and the other at Chepauk. “With each team having won one match, this is a decider of sorts.”
