Name Hindi: कृष्णमाचारी श्रीकांत / Gender Man
Krishnamachari Srikkanth – An Iconic Cricketer
Known for his aggressive batting style, Krishnamachari Srikkanth was the swashbuckling opener of Indian cricket team during 1980s. He redefined the approach to cricket in India by bringing aggression into play, which was often considered as not a gentlemanly trait for cricket – then touted as a gentleman’s game.
Early Life and Inspiration
Srikkanth was born on December 21, 1959, in Madras presently known as Chennai. Right from an early age, he started playing cricket and played regularly for his school team. His growing interest in the sport collected inseparable attention when legendary cricketers like Sunil Gavaskar visited his school. Inspired by such great personalities, Srikkanth decided to make a career in this sport.
Cricketing Career
- Odyssey in Domestic Cricket: Immediately after finishing his studies, Srikkanth made his debut with Tamil Nadu in Ranji Trophy match against Andhra Pradesh in January 1978. Known for his aggressive style of play, he became an instant success providing quick starts at the top.
- International Debut: After few successful seasons with Tamil Nadu, he got called up for national duty making his international Test debut against England at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium in February 1981.
- Captaincy: In the year 1989, after leading India A tour to Zimbabwe successfully earlier that year, Srikkanth took over the captaincy reins from Dilip Vengsarkar. Although his personal performance saw some consistency during his captaincy period, the same was not reflected by the Indian team as a whole.
- Retirement: Following India’s unsuccessful World Cup campaign in 1992, he announced his retirement from international cricket.
Post-Retirement Career
Post-retirement, Srikkanth has remained an active figure within Indian Cricket sphere. He was appointed chairman of the national selection committee in September 2008 and he held that position until September 2012. Simultaneously with his duties in selection committee, Srikkanth became mentor for IPL Chennai Super Kings franchise during its inaugural season in 2008.
Key achievements
- Srikkanth was part of the legendary Indian squad that won the World Cup championship under Kapil Dev in 1983 where he top scored in the final against West Indies.
- In Test Cricket, Srikkanth represented India in 43 matches scoring over 2062 runs at an average of 29.88.
- In One-Day Internationals (ODI), he featured in 146 matches scoring near to 4100 runs at a strike rate of above 70.
An aggressive lead-off batsman and outstanding fielder, Krishnamachari Srikkanth made significant contributions to Indian cricket both on and off-field. His career will forever be remembered most notably for his splendid contribution to India’s first ever world cup triumph as well as leading the nation through testing times during his captaincy tenure.
