Chandrasekar chugs along, goes past 500-wkt mark in TNCA Div 1

CHENNAI: Left-arm spinner DT Chandrasekar breathed fire, scalping seven wickets to help Sea Hawks CC skittle out SKM CC for a paltry 77 before lunch on Day One of the last-round match of the TNCA first division league at the Tagore Medical College Cricket Ground on Wednesday. His figures of 13-3-29-7 took his season tally to 63 wickets and made him the leading wicket-taker.

En route, he completed 500 wickets in the first division league, achieving the milestone when he trapped opposition skipper S Swaminathan for 8. He added four more to the tally and is the second to achieve the 500-feat this season after left-arm spinner R Aushik Srinivas.

Hailing from Arani town in Tiruvallur, the 33-year-old said the guidance of a former Tamil Nadu cricketer, three years ago, helped him master new tricks.

“Feeling very happy as not many have achieved this. Three years ago, when I was playing for Jolly Rovers CC, I worked a lot with Ramkumar, who has played for TN, on variations like over-spin and top-spin. Earlier, I used to take wickets, but it was limited to around 30 or 40. In the last three years, I’ve been able to pick around 50 to 60 wickets. I kept practising what I learnt in my day-to-day training, and that has helped me get better results,” Chandrasekar, who began as a medium pacer, told TOI.

Chandrasekar, who made a comeback to the TN senior side after a decade last domestic season, was disappointed over his and team’s performance.

“Injuries to Ajith Ram and Sai Kishore helped me get a chance. Both of them were performing well, and I couldn’t break in earlier. Age is also a factor, coaches and selectors are looking to groom the next generation. But I kept playing, hoping that someday I would get an opportunity. After almost 10 years, I came in with the intention of doing well for the team and making a comeback. But both as a team and individually, we didn’t do well, and it was a sad feeling,” he said.

Looking ahead, Chandrasekar is keen to make the most of the opportunities ahead and shake off the tag of being effective only on spinning tracks. “TNCA has planned to pick 60 players and conduct matches. If I get that opportunity, I want to come back and improve my first-class performance. I’ve often been told that I get wickets only on spinning tracks, so with TNCA planning matches at neutral venues this season, I want to shed that tag,” Chandrasekar said.