Cricket was my first love: Unnikrishnan

Singer Unnikrishnan on his love for cricket
How it all began...
I was initiated into the game by my father, a great batsman who played for the state. Cricket was my first love. From school to the MNC that I worked for, I’ve always been part of the core cricket team. For five years, I played for the first division league as a top-order batsman and a wicket keeper.
Getting priorities right
When I started getting offers for playback singing, especially after Ennavale..., I was studio-hopping, singing kutcheris, working for an MNC and playing cricket. All this was becoming too difficult to handle. In 1995, I got an opportunity for a concert tour to the US. That’s when I realised that I had to prioritise.
Having a field day
I have played with a lot of international cricketers like Krishnamachari Srikkanth, Venkatraghavan, Shivaramakrishnan and Robin Singh. Once, in a 30-over match, I scored 116 (not out) and then had to field. On the same evening, I had a kutcheri! It was one hell of a day, with heat oozing out of my body during the concert. Then, I played a match amidst a hectic concert schedule. I was practicing a particular raga on the field, got carried away and missed a catch! To this day, the story brings a smile!
Cricket v/s Carnatic music
Cricket and Carnatic music are similar. To begin with, both have an element called ‘pitch’ that you cannot do without. In cricket, every stroke needs style. In music, your bani has a certain style. While cricket has nuances like late-cut, cover drive and leg glance, Carnatic music has nuances like sangathis, briga, aalaap and kalpana swarams. And, timing is important in both cricket and music!
Game on!
I’m playing tennis now, which is a new-found hobby. As far as cricket is concerned, I plan to take forward the cricket club that my father has set up.
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