by Abhai Sawkar Playing at the highest level during your early days is, without a doubt, a prized privilege. Early exposure against top teams is invaluable for a cricketer’s development. Enter Jayanth Ganapathy, former Singapore and Singapore U19 all-rounder who now plays for Normandy CC. Jayanth’s timeline has been very unique. From a promising beginning in the Singapore team to successes at club cricket in the UK, everything’s happened for a reason and it’s been all about capitalizing on priceless learning experiences. Originally from the state of Karnataka, Jayanth quickly fell in love with the game, and always enjoyed watching the great Sachin Tendulkar go about. In addition, it was very intriguing to watch cricket being played just outside his house, too. “My earliest memory of cricket was around when I was 2 or 3. There was a small portico in front of my old house where they used to play cricket. I remember seeing the game through the railings. Watching Sachin bat is always there in my memories - whenever he was at the crease I was always excited.” He’d relocate to Singapore at the age of 6, and he was quick to adapt to the steep learning curve. From rubber ball cricket to hard ball cricket, the transition seemed fairly smooth, and he’d soon be a regular feature in various age groups. “It was quite interesting, because we started playing rubber-ball cricket at school. I was about 8 or 9 when I first began playing rubber-ball cricket, which is funny because in India I played hard-ball cricket by the time I was 6. When I came to Singapore I played rubber-ball cricket for quite a while. When I was 12, I was qualified to play for Singapore - I had to stay for a number of years. I was a consistent bowler with the rubber ball since it swung miles. Then I got selected for Under-13, and we’d play against the Malaysian states in a tournament. That went well for me and that’s how it all began for Singapore. At the time I used to open the batting as well as the bowling, which was quite different since that was my first hard-ball event. It was quite the experience to do both.” For Jayanth, the journey of international cricket began very early, and his first experiences were initially nerve-wracking but rewarding as well. He featured in an ACC U19 tournament held in Nepal, and each game kept him on his toes. “I actually debuted for Singapore U19 in 2005, and that was an unbelievable experience. The tournament was held in Kathmandu. The scenic nature of the grounds was amazing - you’re playing cricket in the middle of the mountains. I was only 15 and the people I was playing against were huge, the Nepalese and Afghan players were 19 and older.” Jayanth was proficient with both bat and ball, but ultimately bowling has been his prominent skill. With a relatively stronger batting unit, the Singapore team normally counted on his efforts with the ball. Later on, his batting would improve to a point where he’d be considered a genuine allrounder. “For Singapore, I was a bowling allrounder. I batted at No. 5 and No. 6 and I often opened the batting too. But what initially got me into the team was my bowling because I was a new-ball bowler. Only when I arrived at the UK I realized I was a genuine allrounder and I could bat in the top four. When I began playing at Prem division, I was primarily a batsman. Again, for allrounders it’s quite difficult - if one of your skills stands out more than the other, people tend to ignore the other one. If you ask me now, I’d consider myself an allrounder, but for the senior Singapore side I was a bowler.” It was quite the honor for Jayanth to be coached by one of India’s prominent allrounders in the 1980s. As a matter of fact, the coaching sessions were priceless, and Jayanth would add more accurate swing bowling to his repertoire. Starring with the ball in only his second game felt surreal, and even that’s an understatement. “I remember the game against Qatar - it was my second game and I got a 5-wicket haul. Roger Binny used to come to Singapore to coach us and he taught me to bowl outswingers. On that day, he was the match referee and personally congratulated me soon after. For a 15-year-old kid, I was quite wonderstruck.” Playing cricket with a large crowd watching may have felt a bit different early on, but it couldn’t get more fascinating, especially given the fact that it was an age-group match. Jayanth prizes the game against Nepal as one of his fondest memories for Singapore U19 - it was the key stepping stone before he’d work his way up to playing for the senior side. “In the other game against Nepal U19, there was a crowd of about 5000 people watching us, and most of them sat behind me when I was running in to bowl. It was awe-inspiring to see that many people watching me to play cricket. 2007 was nice, but I wasn’t quite at my peak. I was bowling very tight spells. Batting wasn’t so great, I scored around 32 against Nepal and then played an irresponsible shot and I remember getting an earful from the coach. The Under-19 experience really taught me what cricket is, and after those tournaments, I got more high-level club opportunities before I entered the senior team.” “I got a go for the senior team for the first time when I was 16, and it was a miraculous experience. There were some people in the senior team as well as the Malaysian team that I debuted against who were giants of the associate game: Navaratnam, the Malaysia fast bowler had a phenomenal run-up and action, and Singapore had some quality batsmen like Chetan, Chaminda, and Anish. Because it was my debut series they wanted to make sure that they’d win the 3-game series 2-0 so that I could get a fair chance on debut. I remember the second game was going down to the wire and I was doing drinks. I was out there trying to help the batsmen and I hoped they’d chase down the target.” Playing for the senior team was both something to savor as well as a reality check. At the highest level, Jayanth’s batting took a back seat as his bowling continued to thrive. He recalls a tense encounter involving the team and how he unflappably went about his business. In retrospect, Jayanth feels he probably could’ve played for Singapore for some more time but opportunities for higher education took him to the UK. “The third game was phenomenal - I realized what men’s cricket is like. As I said, I was a bowler for the senior team since my batting wasn’t quite good enough for that level, so I batted at No. 11. I remember there was a huge fight in the dressing room before we went out to bowl. Before the game started, the coach asked the captain what I was going to do today, and my captain said I’d be opening the bowling. I remember calmly walking out, I bowled well for the most part - unfortunately I didn’t play for the senior team after that. I should’ve played for longer before I left, I’d been doing well at Division 1 level, but overall it was a memorable time.” Upon arrival, joining the university cricket team was a key item in the list of priorities. Compared to playing for Singapore, Jayanth had a relatively easier start for Imperial College, raking in plenty of wickets. Stellar performances for Windsor CC propped him up well, and he’d soon end up a regular feature for Normandy CC’s first team after putting in the hard yards for the second XI. “I came to the UK to study chemical engineering at Imperial College in September 2010. I was very serious about cricket and when I first came I was so into it that my association head had given a letter of recommendation, and I handed that letter to my university’s cricket club. It was definitely very big for me. Starting things off, I played university cricket, and it started off fairly easy. I was happy to bowl in England - I used to bowl on flat tracks a lot and I had to maintain an immaculate line and length, but in England you’d get wickets for fun. Oppositions were 60-odd for 6 and wrapped up at 80 all out. In my first game here, we scored 350 runs and the opposition scored 325. It was one of the best games I’ve played here and I got a 4-wicket haul. The next year, I played for Windsor Cricket Club - I worked hard and I played for the third team. My first spell was 6-12 and then I moved up to the second team and got a 4-fer there. Finally, I did make it to the first team and got 27 wickets in 5 games. Then I went over to Normandy and learned plenty during my stint with the second team there, and that experience made me a much better batsman. I became captain of my college side, and leadership helped my batting. I played a lot of cricket and finally got in Normandy’s first team.” In addition to his playing exploits, Jayanth has done well to incorporate coaching in his usual training regimen for Normandy. With a wealth of experience under his belt, he’s always raring to help out the newcomers and provide key guidance. “I absolutely love coaching and I’ve been trying to add coaching tips into my routine for Normandy. I’ve been working with junior members of the team, discussing a lot of stuff with the senior members of the team to help pick things up. I love the game, so sharing the knowledge as well as seeing people develop and playing a small part in that is great. There are some great minds of cricket around me and they’ve helped me big-time when it comes to becoming a better cricketer.” Jayanth’s experiences for Normandy would reach the apex in 2017 when the team lifted the silverware in the Surrey Premier League. A pivotal win against the nemesis sparked an unbelievable turn of events. Having played a central role in guiding his side to the title, Jayanth reminisces the unforgettable moments as well as the climactic situations. “Well, I think none of us believed it when we won it with two games to spare. It was an unbelievable night - it was my first full season. I’d learned a lot over the course of the last few years and built my game. I couldn’t hit boundaries as easily as some of the other guys but I did well to rotate the strike and push for singles. There was a lot of preparation that went into the season. When I got the opportunity to bat in the middle order, I was lucky to take full toll. I made a few changes early on, played a game against Weybridge and had a 150-run partnership, which turned things around for me personally. I was bowling decent spells until around halfway through the season when my shoulder was giving up.” “It’s one of the best team efforts I’ve been through. We played a crucial match against Reigate, and they were ahead of us at the time. It had been 8 years since we last beat them, so it was a huge moment for us. They scored 270 and we were 130 for 4. I went in to bat and I remember thinking that I won’t last too long at the crease. It’s always nice to get some chat when you get out there to bat, it helps you with your focus. I ended up having a 140-run part and winning the game - and after that, Reigate would lose another 7 games in a row. So it was nice to be a key player for the team and the rest of the team were brilliant, too. It was so much fun to share it with the folks around me. Collecting the trophy at the Kia Oval was a night to remember, you can’t ask for much better than that - no doubt, it was the happiest moment of my life.” Last, but not least, Jayanth’s strong work ethic and dedication to the game has contributed to his development both on and off the field. From Singapore to the UK, the focused approach has remained the same and there will be more benefits in store.
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AuthorsAkseli Pitkänen Archives
September 2020
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