Advantages of falling sick include more opportunities to think of God as well as about events of yester-decades. In one of such recent days, I was keen to know how the popular cricketers of the seventies looked like today and one cricketer who came to my mind instantly was Kalyanasundaram, pace-spearhead for Tamil Nadu, Kerala and South Zone. I read an interesting article on him and how he came up against all odds(link provided). First on my experiences in sighting Kalyanasundaram !
Those days we knew cricketers only by what is read in the newspapers and what is heard from the radio commentators. Occasionally you see pictures in Indian Express, but you can’t make much out, as none of the pictures used to have any clarity. One day the picture will say “Gavaskar drives”, but the next day the same pic will be reproduced with the caption “Amarnath hooks”. You could seldom differentiate. As a developing fast bowler I was keen to see Kalyanasundaram bowl.
I got an opportunity to see Kalyanasundaram in flesh & bones, when he came to play at the Madura College Cricket ground (one ground which even in those days was of a good standard, including a nice gallery…..which our English lecturer Krishnamurthy used to say is the abode of “Subramaniapuram Somberikal”).
Kalyanasundaram represented LMW, Coimbatore, a powerful team, which also had a good budget to spend on players and matches. When they play there will also be a couple of crates of “Colours” meaning beverages like Fanta, Coke, which were beyond the reach of commoners. Madurai cricketers were of the “Dharumi” kind and some of us used to comment, we should atleast buy a crate of “mappillai Vinayagar Colour” even if it means to sell our neighbour’s bicycle.
Going by my benchmark for a pace-bowler that the person should be tall, well built, aggressive, and dark, I could not sight any Kalyanasundaram in the playing eleven. I was looking for a Wes Hall, Kapil Dev and Rajamannar (local hero) and all the three fitted well into my benchmark including the right shade of skin. Alas I could not locate Kalyanasundaram anywhere in the ground.
One of my more knowledgeable friends ( he arrived ten minutes ahead of me and should have gone though the very same experience until some one who reached the ground 10 mts earlier clarified him) pointed out to a fragile looking man, skinny, medium height, not so dark, heavy-spectacles held in position with an elastic band, a pronounced adam’s-apple and more encomiums which will disqualify him to be a fast bowler in my court-of-law.
In disbelief I yelled at my friend (with my acid tongue)… “Idhu Kalaynasundaram illadaa…Edho Kaamala Sundaram”.
Kalayasundaram did not waste much time in proving me absolutely wrong when he ran with the cherry from a fairly longer run up and made his deliveries do all the talking.
For probably the first time I realized in life that looks can be very deceptive….only performances matter.
Now read on to know more about how him. My apologies to him for my caustic remark and My best wishes for a long and healthy life.
Link to the article: https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2011/08/kalli-b-kalyanasundaram.html
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