by Abhai Sawkar It’s been quite a start to the month so far. Some parts of the world have made more progress, and international cricket is set to make a return in a matter of a few weeks. In the UK, the lockdown measures are gradually beginning to ease up, but most sporting events have been cancelled. While the 2020 season has been hit hard, there’s been plenty to reflect on for Normandy Cricket Club’s new skipper, Vignesh Venkateswaran. Born in India and having spent most of his early life in Bengaluru, Vignesh cherishes the overall experience. It’s where he’s first taken up the game as well as developed his skillset. “I was there until I was 13. I got up to standby level for Karnataka U-13, which is how I know a lot of the Bangalore boys. It was great fun and it shaped me as a cricketer. Very competitive and I would love to go back at some point.” Vignesh spent his mid-teens in the UAE, and continued his cricketing journey at the Young Talents Cricket Academy (YTCA). While he may have been deprived of game time at national age-group level due to the residency requirements, he did eventually make it to the U19 side. Sadly, injury sidelined him from further opportunities, and in 2011, he relocated to the UK. “I couldn’t play age group cricket in UAE because I didn’t qualify since I hadn’t lived there for long enough. I did qualify for the U19 team but broke my wrist so didn’t go. I ended up playing with the senior team and made one appearance for them in a warm up game vs Bermuda. I then moved to London for uni so that was that.” It was time to start afresh, and two years into his stay in London, he entered the local club scene in the Surrey Premier League, for Normandy CC. Adjustment had its challenges, and it wasn’t quite the smoothest of starts early on. “I was pretty shoddy that season with bat and ball. I wasn’t exactly used to batting in the Uk so struggled to score runs. I bowled a lot and bowled ok but didn’t get many wickets. So all in all I was good but not as good as Jayanth Ganapathy that season, who replaced me as the overseas pro later in that season.” Over the course of his stint, he’s had the privilege of playing with and against current and former county stars as well as international players, Test cricketers included. “Loads of players play in our league,” says Vignesh. “Stuart Meaker and Nathan Sowter play for Normandy. I’ve also played against Shaun Udal, Dom Sibley, Ollie Pope, Amar Virdi, Arun Harinath, Ryan Patel, Gary Wilson, Chris Green, and Ajaz Patel.” The past two seasons have brought about crucial progress from both a personal and a team’s standpoint. Being a part of some serious recent progress was nothing short of a remarkable experience on the whole. “It went nicely. We won division 1 which was a good result as it means we went back up to the prem straight after being relegated in 2018. We are a good team and should be in the prem. I personally only played 13 of the 18 games - I missed some games due to weddings and other commitments but I took 46 wickets in those games with 5 or 6 5-wicket hauls so I personally had a good season, but I didn’t really have to bat much. We won the prem in 2017 so really shouldn’t have gotten relegated in 2018.” “Last year would be a poor comparison because, as I said, we shouldn’t have been in Div 1 and ended up walking a lot of games. But if I have to answer that I’d say Cranleigh were the best team we played as they came second and came back up to the Prem, since they also got relegated with us.” “I’d say I’m at my peak in the timed games where I can bowl unlimited overs and set attacking fields etc. The 50 over format poses its own threats but personally the long format is my favourite.” Now that he’s been a central part of Normandy’s campaign for multiple seasons, Vignesh was given the reins for the 2020 season. With the wealth of experience he’s raring to take charge of the side as well as provide the mentorship and extra encouragement for his teammates. “I know that we have a quality team, one of the best in the county for sure. We’re the youngest team in the league and we have a lot of fun playing our cricket. If we play at our best we’ll win so my job is more to ensure that everyone has the situations to perform at their best. I’m one of the quieter ones in the team and I won’t change that but I’ll be vocal when needed.” While the COVID-19 pandemic has forced a suspension of this year’s season, Vignesh is well-prepared and has had a chance to maintain his fitness and stay in touch with the game often enough. He’s primarily a left-arm spinner, but improving his batting is also in his plans for the near future. “Well, I’ve never had a fixed position in the batting order which has been annoying. I’d like to rectify that this season by batting at 7 or 8. I wouldn’t say I’m a finisher but I back myself to score quick runs as I’ve got a range of shots, long levers and am quick between the wickets Currently I’ve been going to the park to do fielding and spot bowling and done some throwdowns in the car park with Jayanth. Focusing on fitness since we don’t really have facilities for anything more. I've been doing some yoga everyday which has been a revelation.” Professional cricket has been a childhood aspiration for Vignesh, and he’s worked tirelessly to increase his chances of entering the county circuit. At this point in time, fine-tuning his game as well as adding to his repertoire are the priorities. “I'd love to play county cricket. From about the age of 8 the only thing that I’ve ever wanted to be in life is a pro cricketer so I’d love for that to happen someday. I’ve still got 2 years before I qualify and I'll be 30 by the time I do but as a spinner that shouldn’t be a hindrance. I just need to focus on improving something between now and then and I plan to focus on my batting so that’s what I’m aiming for.” As a well-established performer in the club scene, Vignesh has experienced quite an eventful road of crests and troughs. The coronavirus may have thrown a wrench in the works, but the confidence level is high as usual. Motivation and positivity through tough times will spearhead better things to come in the near future.
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September 2020
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