It was the good old days in the late 80's from my memory. Srikanth was dropped from the national team for a while. He was the butt of all the cricketing jokes in every way gleefully disrespectful from the fans whatsoever. Common lore usually was based on how he is a nothing cricketer who only wildly swings his bat in a vain hope of connecting. Yes, even Srikanth went through a lot of flak from the selectors to the fans when his form deserted him... perhaps on many counts rather unfairly.
With this as the background, the Don Bosco school in Chennai had invited him to be the chief guest for their sports day event. Don Bosco at that time had two promising players in the name of Tanvir Jabber and an another bowler, whose name I cannot recall. Both these guys were already big names in the national junior circuit and their very names was enough to make school kids in the zonal inter-school competition go in a state of panic and outright fear.
So when the event happened, the script was to him coming in as a chief guest and play a couple of deliveries to kick off the school cricket competition. Sure enough, after the standard formalities, Srikanth went to the field to face a few token deliveries to get the crowd going.
First ball: The great fast bowler of the school took a shortened run-up, made a few smart stereotyped laughable quirks to the fielders nearby and bowled the first ball rather casually. Cheeka didn't move his feet, hit it not very cleanly but the ball sailed over the boundary for a six with such ease.
The crowd went berserk.
Second ball: Furious, the bowler went back muttering angrily... Took an extended run-up, more than what he usually does and charged in with all his might. The students held their breath back because that bowler was indeed quick. The bowler let loose a fast and short riser... Cheeka simply danced down the track and hit the bouncer on the up right out of the school compound all the way into the Don Bosco junior school compound across the opposite side of the road! One of the biggest sixes ever seen.
Crowd went ballistic... He smiled and left.
It was the much needed humble lesson every one learned. For the fact, that if someone made it to the national team amidst all common odds, there is a significant untold brilliance, which no common fan can ever know.
While this could well be an urban legend, since your truly was not there to witness this but took a stupid decision to watch a western flick instead on the sly without my parents knowledge and add to that the fact that I was a football buff back then, this incident is still being sung as far as a few days back as this huge urban legend on Srikanth, told over generations from the ones who watched it unfold on that day.
To me, I take it as on that day, there were many who learned a much needed lesson in life, including me.
The legend of Cheeka: An urban legend?
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6 comments:
Expected him to hold out to long off. Btw how big was the ground?
Ran into Cheeka when he was Ind Jrs coach at the airport. Informed my fellow traveller later, man, he ran like hell. Turned out Cheeka's bro and he were classmates in Chennai. Boy, that made his trip.
Btw to my Best of luck for Eng, Cheeka nodded with that head twirl of his, "Thanks!"
good stuff scorpi.
It was the much needed humble lesson every one learned. For the fact, that if someone made it to the national team amidst all common odds, there is a significant untold brilliance, which no common fan can ever know.
truly brilliant scorpy...
Show off - beating up school kids when playing for the national team.Typical bully boy - it shows in his commentary!!
Cheers,
LOL NC... indeed the first shot might well have been holed out to the slightly smaller size of the ground.
Thxs SP... will soon be more active.
LOL Homer... Absolutely... beating up small kids! The ones playing were 16 year olds. His commentary is awful though.
Cheers
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