He came from Chennai to make Delhi his “home”. At different times, he resided in different zones, went to Sardar Patel Vidyalaya and Hindu College and learnt cricket at the National Stadium. He joined the Railways to pursue his cricket, which saw him play for India, Lancashire, Middlesex and now Somerset. It has been a hard grind for Murali Kartik, an orthodox left-arm spinner. His father was an executive with Canara Bank and his transferable job meant he was constantly on the move. “That's how we came to Delhi, and I stayed back after my mom's death (in 1996).” His father and brother later returned to Chennai.
Kartik (33) can call himself a Dilliwallah. “I am a Dilliwallah. The first time we stayed in South Extension, during our second stint in Old Rajinder Nagar and third in Green Park Main. After my mother's death I stayed with different family friends in Arjun Vihar, Saket and Dayanand Vihar.” After marriage, to schoolmate Shweta Shukla, he lived in Safdarjung Enclave before moving to his “own house” in Gurgaon.
Commuting to play in Delhi is a tedious exercise but he does not complain. Devotional music, an essential part of his daily life, has a soothing impact as Kartik drives his Honda Civic on the Gurgaon-Delhi highway to report at the Karnail Singh Stadium. His mind is always fresh and focused. “Thanks to MS (Subbulakshmi)… what divine voice,” he smiles.
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He has some “fond memories” from his student life. “I was suspended for three months in Class XII for no fault of mine. I had returned from Chennai and my father forced me to go to school that day. I did not know of a scheduled test and decided to sit in the library during that period. Some of my classmates, skipping the exam, were caught loitering in the school ground. They promptly named me too. We were told to leave the school with our bags thrown out.”
On another occasion, Kartik's class clashed with another section when he was actually playing. “When I came back, I found that I had been suspended along with everyone.”
College was different. “From college I have nothing except for the fact that my cumulative attendance for three years was a mere one and half hours. Amazing isn't it, when I was doing B.Com (Honours)?” Kartik asks.
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Quality spinner
Acknowledged by experts as a quality spinner, Kartik has only received a raw deal from the National selectors. He debuted in 2000 but only eight Test and 37 ODI appearances hardly justify his excellence. He last played a Test in 2004 and ODI in 2007. Sterling performances in domestic cricket, the last Indian Premier League, not to forget the English County circuit, have, however, failed to impress the selectors. But Kartik, with 14 first-class seasons behind him, is not perturbed.
“My motivation is when I know I belong here (international class). If critics believe I am the best in the land that keeps me going. There is no bigger motivation than playing for your country.”
Forgotten at home, Kartik is shining in England, playing for a county which once had greats like Sunil Gavaskar, Vivian Richards, Joel Garner and Ian Botham. “I love county cricket (his fourth season in succession) and the fact that it keeps my competitive juices flowing, it keeps me challenged. Just that sometimes it's tiring physically because of the number of games and the little time between them.”
Kartik was amused when a colleague called him a “crorepati” and “celebrity” soon after he had signed with Kolkata Knight Riders. “It is just that you attend a lot of social functions (as a celebrity), but my closest friends are still the same. I live the same life, doing household chores when not playing, getting beaten up by my wife as any husband.”
Is being a bowler tough? “Yes, in a certain way, as Anil (Kumble) bhai called us, we are labour class, getting hit in the ‘nets' and also in the game. Bats are getting bigger, boundaries smaller and people come to see us getting whacked. The rules are being modified to suit them. In the media, if as a batsman you are having a poor run, they say you are out of form but not if you are a bowler. Then they say you are finished and you are run down by all and sundry.”
Six months of county cricket is “lovely” but he misses Delhi. “I absolutely love Delhi, so much history. I love Lutyens' Delhi — what amazing buildings, no space constraints. The people are large-hearted. If only they had better driving sense.”
When in England, Kartik also misses “Thai Wok (near Qutab Minar), the TGIF (in Vasant Vihar), Saravana Bhavan (in CP), the PVR in Saket and Gurgaon” and drives around in a Land Rover. Yes, ‘MS' continues to have the “soothing impact” away from home too.