Not all players who have played cricket in the country can claim to have experienced the diverse ethos of two prominent centres of the game in the south -Madras and Hyderabad. V Ramnarayan belongs to this rare breed. Brought up in Madras, Ramnarayan’s professional commitments took him to Hyderabad. He went on to represent Hyderabad in the Ranji Trophy.

Hailing from a family with its share of cricketers, it didn’t take long for Ramnarayan to be smitten by the g ame. He grew up admiring of fspinner Jim Laker and R a m n a r ay a n too chose to take up the craft the illus trious Englishman excelled in. “By the time I was 16, I found a liking for it (offspin) and continued to pursue it,” says the 67-year-old.He recalls an incident where Venkatraman, physical director of Vivekananda College, overlooked him for the college team. “Later, when I did well against Vivekananda College while representing Presidency College, Venkatraman apologized for his error. It was a moment I will cherish.”

After honing his skills on the Madras league cricket circuit, Ramnarayan’s professional career took him to Andhra Pradesh where he joined SBI (State Bank of India) as a probationary officer in December 1970. He began playing cricket at the league level in Hyderabad and it didn’t take long for him to make a mark there. The prestigious Ranji Trophy soon beckoned, and Ramnarayan made his debut in 1975 against Kerala at Trivandrum.

“Playing zonal games in Hyderabad and that too alongside the likes of Abbas Ali Baig , Abid Ali , M A K Pataudi and M L Jaisimha prepared me to play at the Ranji level,” says Ramnarayan, whose figures in his debut match were an impressive 6-33.

Among the numerous incidents of his career, the legendary offie recounts the one featuring Tiger Pataudi with relish. “A day before Hyderabad’s Ranji game against Madras at Chepauk in 1975, one of the fans asked some uncomfortable questions to Tiger at our team hotel (Admiralty Hotel at Mandaveli). Tiger soon told skipper Jaisimha that he would open,” says Ramnarayan, who played 25 first class games for Hyderabad.

“The next morning,” he says, “Jaisimha had to persuade Tiger to bat at No 3.”

What followed was a vintage knock with Tiger notching up his highest Ranji score of 198. That also turned out to be his last innings at the MA Chirambaram stadium in Chepauk, remembers Ramnarayan.

“What was special about Tiger was his ability to take on challenges and come up trumps,” adds Ramnarayan.He may not have gone on to play at the highest level for the country, but Ramnarayan’s skills were considered good enough for him to make it to the list of probables for the national team’s tour of Australia in 1977-78.”I count on my blessings. To have played the game with some of the illustrious names in the Indian cricket is something that will alw ay s s t ay with me,” says the man, whose book Third Man: Recollections from a life in cricket was released recently.

After calling time on his career, Ramnarayan made a smooth transition into a career in writing. He went on to become an author of repute, and now edits Sruti, a well-known monthly magazine on the performing arts. But Ramnarayan has not cut himself from his beloved sport. He continues to be involved in the game by writing on it for various publications.

(A weekly column on famous sportspersons whose first playing field was Chennai and its neighbourhood)

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Chennai / by Prasad S, TNN / February 14th, 2015