IPL star rolls out new turfs in Salem cricket

It was back in 1990 when K R Sivaprakash from Salem represented Tamil Nadu in the Ranji Trophy. It took Salem 25 more years to produce another Ranji Trophy cricketer —

T Natarajan

, who created a buzz when he was signed by Kings XI Punjab for a whopping `3 crore during the IPL auction in February this year. The baton was taken forward by R Vivek from Mettur who wowed audience with his big-hitting abilities while playing for the Dindigul Dragons in the last season of Tamil Nadu Premier League.

The meteoric rise of Natarajan from the obscure fields of Chinnappampatti to Ranji grounds and the spark produced by Vivek in TNPL have generated a strong cricketing wave across Salem. It was evident when children and youngsters gathered in large numbers to celebrate the inauguration of Natarajan Cricket Academy, the first cricket facility in Chinnappampatti, last week.

But what took Salem such a long time to showcase its talents? "Lack of awareness and infrastructure," says Sivaprakash, who played his only first-class match in the 1990-1991 season. He says cricketers from Salem during the 1980s had no clue about the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA) league cricket in Chennai.

"Only a couple of us used to play league cricket in Chennai. Those days, there wasn’t much awareness among parents to encourage their children to pursue cricket as a career. We used to get intimation for league matches through post cards. But, now district cricketers are spotted fast. Today at least 20-30 cricketers from the district represent various league teams," says the 50-year-old coach.

Natarajan’s generation has more exposure than Sivaprakash’s, but the cricketing infrastructure is still as primitive. The fact that Natarajan hadn’t bowled on a turf wicket before he moved to Chennai highlights the poor infrastructure in Salem. The Salem District Cricket Association has five divisions and 47 teams playing league cricket, but it doesn’t have a turf

ground

. The league matches — 198 per year — are played only on matting wickets. There are only three to four proper cricket centres in Salem for practice.

To make training easier for the younger generation, Natarajan decided to bring turf to his village. His academy is set to have two turf pitches and a concrete and a matting wicket. The left-arm pacer also plans to rope in coaches from Chennai during summer for specialised training camps.

"When I started playing cricket there wasn’t a pitch to bowl on in our village. I want to ensure that the next generation gets a taste of what a turf or a matting wicket is and support talented cricketers who are eager to prove themselves in Chennai league," says Natarajan. TN cricketers B Indrajith and B Aparajith who inaugurated the academy and the facility’s coach K Swaminathan have taken the responsibility of "finding league teams" for deserving players.

"The rise of Natarajan and Vivek shows that the districts have enough talents. They need opportunities and a platform to showcase their talents," says Indrajith.

Despite the growing enthusiasm among aspiring cricketers to make it big, Salem, is yet to have a dedicated cricket ground to nurture these talents. In the early 1990s, SDCA had one turf ground — Mahatma Gandhi Stadium — which even hosted a few Ranji Trophy matches, but now there is none. Cricket is played only on matting wickets across six grounds, which local cricketers say is "not up to the mark". R S Ramasamy, secretary SDCA, said they "couldn’t maintain" Gandhi Stadium after it was left open for public use. Ever since, it has been a struggle for SDCA to find a turf ground. Ramasamy says they are on the hunt for a suitable venue to construct a ground along the highways.

In a welcome step, S R Parthiban, former league cricketer and owner of a private club — Green Valley Sports Club — in Udayapatti, is on a mission to construct a well-equipped ground in the locality. Covered by mountains on all sides, the location resembles the picturesque NPR College ground in Natham, Dindigul. But it may take some time before a match is hosted on the grounds. But, club authorities first have to deal with issues such as transportation, accommodation, nature of the wicket on the ground and many more before coming up with a tie-up proposal with SDCA.

Yet, the fact that there has been a start, promises of better cricketing opportunities in Salem.


Explore the yearly horoscope 2025 for Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, and Pisces zodiac signs. Spread love this holiday season with these New Year wishes, messages and quotes.