A scheduled tête-à-tête with Subramaniam Badrinath during a practice session at the M. A. Chidambaram Stadium proves elusive after security guards deny us entry into the ground, insisting instead on a ‘clearance' from Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA) officials for the interview. Badrinath, after learning of the situation, apologises swiftly and graciously even as we begin our conversation — this time over telephone. The Tamil Nadu batsman joined a rare cluster of cricketers when he played his 100th first class match in the recently-concluded Ranji Trophy encounter against Madhya Pradesh.
First call-up
Almost instantly, memories of the first call-up — an intimately, warm feeling that envelops a sportsman's consciousness — add a dash of zap to his voice. “I was travelling with the State under-22 team when my dad and a gentleman from Chemplast (Badrinath's first employer) called me to inform I had made the cut. The first practice session was very memorable too. Sharing the dressing room with guys like (Hemang) Badani, (Sridharan) Sharath, (Sadagopan) Ramesh, (Sridharan) Sriram and Ashish Kapoor was wonderful and scoring a hundred in my second match against Karnataka made things extra special.”
Each of these men has played a part in Badrinath's cricketing education. “There were different attributes I could pick up from them. Ramesh was mentally tough, while Sriram was a thorough professional. Badani was a natural talent and Sharath had this amazing ability to deliver irrespective of the situation. Along with Ramesh, he was a terrific character in the dressing room. When it came to fielding and fitness, Robin Singh was tremendous.”
Speaking of fitness, the 31-year-old has never let his standards be whittled down to mediocre levels. “I religiously follow my training schedules besides watching what I eat. My game revolves around fitness; it involves running a lot of singles. I was into athletics as a kid and was also part of the football team during my school days.”
A humungous appetite for crease-occupation has been a significant aspect of his game. “It's basically a passion for the game and a love for batting. I treat the batting crease as my second home. The bat hitting the ball gives me a high. Whenever I am in, I want to make it count.”
Professionalism
Badrinath feels a professional environment tops the list of Tamil Nadu's strengths. “Professionalism has been the mainstay of the team in the last few years. There has never been any dearth of talent. A lot of credit should also go to the support staff and the TNCA who have contributed to a good system.” He is also upbeat about the younger generation; players such as Abhinav Mukund, R. Aushik Srinivas and J. Kaushik are the ones to watch out for, according to him.
The battle-hardened cricketer chooses the two Ranji Trophy finals that Tamil Nadu qualified for as his favourite moments. “We have been dominating the first-class arena for the last three years or so, but having said that we need to win the Ranji. (Lakshmipathy) Balaji and I have been saying to each other, ‘we need to win it before we retire'.”
Captaining the Tamil Nadu side has been gratifying for Badrinath. “I took up captaincy when the team was in transition; a lot of youngsters were coming in while we lost many players to the ICL. It's a huge honour to have led Tamil Nadu.”
On whether the IPL has overshadowed tournaments such as the Ranji Trophy, he strikes a measured note. “It is the nature of the format, I guess. There should be more sponsor-support for first-class matches too.”
He hasn't given up hopes of making his way back into the National team. “Age is just a number. I want to lay out a new path. Guys like Mike Hussey and Matthew Hayden are inspirational from that perspective,” he smiles.
BADRI'S PICKS
Alma Mater: PSBB (K.K. Nagar), Guru Nanak College.
Passion: Wildlife, photography and golf.
Movies: “The Shawshank Redemption”, “Gladiator”.
Books: “It's not about the bike” — Lance Armstrong's autobiography with Sally Jenkins
Destination: South Africa
