zubinpepsi Posted May 4, 2010 Posted May 4, 2010 Sadagoppan Ramesh Coming soon to a theatre near you ... is S Ramesh, the former India opener, now trying to make his way as an actor. He talks about getting dropped, dealing with frustrations, and discovering his inner funny man Kanishkaa Balachandran May 3, 2010 Comments: 6 | Login via | Text size: A | A "When I went through a bad patch, the best thing that happened to my life was my daughter. She was like my medicine" © Cricinfo Ltd Walking into Sadagoppan Ramesh's house, the first thing that meets the eye is opulence. There is attention to detail in every corner of the plush, spacious, contemporary, breezy 11th-floor apartment in Chennai's upscale MRC Nagar. An arrangement of bamboo shoots resting on white pebbles greets you near the front door. Not the sort of home you'd expect a cricketer who didn't quite make it to have. Then again, this is the home of a player who has put behind him the disappointments of an aborted career to start afresh in another field, which has kept him in the limelight - show business. Ramesh looks almost exactly the same as nine years ago, when he last played a Test for India. The prospect of meeting a Tamil movie actor often conjures up images of a larger-than-life personality, but Ramesh, new in the field, doesn't fit the prototype yet. He has just finished shooting his latest movie, Patta Patti 50-50, a cricket-centric comedy where he plays the lead role, appearing as himself. He's eagerly awaiting its release in May to gauge how he has been accepted in his chosen field. After more than three months of hectic shooting in Tamil Nadu's Madurai district, Ramesh has been using his spare time to catch up with family and friends and also take off to the hills. Since 2001, Ramesh's life has been a rollercoaster ride, having endured the pain of being dropped not only by India but also his home state of Tamil Nadu. In between, he got married, moved states during a Ranji Trophy season, and dabbled in commentary and television before slowly finding his feet in the movies. Where did things go wrong? Could he have done things differently? How did he deal with rejection? When he made his Test debut at his home ground in 1999 and left everyone spellbound with pristine drives off Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis, it seemed as if India had finally unearthed another fearless opener. At the end of the Sri Lanka tour in September 2001, where a majority of the batsmen failed, Ramesh had respectable returns of 223 runs at 37.16. It all started to go wrong when a back injury ruled him out of the South Africa tour. It was the start of a farcical revolving-door policy at the top of the order, where India tried out as many as 10 different opening combinations over three years. Though he had scored a half-century in his last Test, Ramesh was already a forgotten man. After more than two years off the radar, he had another opportunity when he was picked for the 2003-04 tour of Australia as a third opener. What went on in the background is still shrouded in mystery, even for Ramesh himself, who wasn't given an opportunity in any of the four Tests despite performing decently in the side games. The puzzling events started on the morning of the tour matchagainst Victoria. "I didn't even know I was playing until I sat down for breakfast that morning," Ramesh recalls. "Andrew Leipus [the physiotherapist] told me I was replacing VVS Laxman, who had the flu. I said, 'Are you kidding?' "It wasn't the captain or the coach who told me, and I was really surprised that they didn't. Sourav [Ganguly] asked me to bat at No. 3. I had no batting practice before the game. I had to ask one of the crew members, Ramky the analyst, to give me throwdowns. Sachin and I had a big partnership. I scored 87." For the next game, in Brisbane, Ramesh was inexplicably pushed to No. 7, giving Deep Dasgupta a chance at the top. It was obvious that India were experimenting to find the perfect foil for Virender Sehwag, but on the eve of the first Test at the Gabba, Ganguly decided to revert to the combination of Sehwag and Aakash Chopra - which turned out eventually to be successful. But Ramesh was a casualty, a victim of a lack of clarity on his position in the side. When he returned from Australia, Ramesh got the disturbing news that he wasn't needed with Tamil Nadu either. A selector explained that they were building a younger team and that Ramesh didn't fit in their scheme of things. The timing couldn't have been worse, because Ramesh was trying to make his comeback. Like many other Tamil Nadu players, he found work elsewhere and represented weaker teams like Kerala and Assam. Though it was a climbdown, playing for Plate teams, Ramesh enjoyed better stature among his new team-mates and bosses, who treated him with more respect. But despite scoring over a thousand runs for Kerala one season, there was no national recall in sight, and the writing was on the wall that his Ranji career was stagnating. Ramesh describes the dark days of 2004 as the worst phase of his career. Dealing with rejection tests the strongest characters, more so in sport than in any other field. With such a large pool of players to pick from, and a bad performance around the corner, a sizeable number of professional sportsmen are bound to be left behind - especially in a system like India's, with its lack of transparency. Ramesh didn't have someone to put an arm around his shoulder to explain why exactly he was rejected and what he could do to revive his career. Indian cricket has had its share of sob stories, of cricketers who couldn't come to grips with handling fame or being dropped, and going on to endure wretched periods in their personal and professional lives. Players like Sadanand Viswanath, Laxman Sivaramakrishnan, Maninder Singh and Vinod Kambli were notable among them; some even had rough times with alcohol and drugs. Fortunately, Ramesh had a strong family net to help him through the dark days. "My father-in-law watched my debut in Chepauk, and he was a fan of my batting even before he met me. They dreamt of me making a comeback. In 2004, when things didn't work out, I actually had to console them." He was making runs, but the frustrations ran deep - hidden though they may have been. Being cynical over your fortunes is one thing, but expressing it is another. Ramesh doesn't belong to the same category as a Sreesanth or a Harbhajan Singh, whose approach to giving free rein to their emotions often leaves them poorer in the pocket. Ramesh had his own ways of dealing with disappointments. He told himself that he had been luckier than a thousand other players, who'd chop off an arm or leg to play for India. Whatever little he had achieved was still more than what plenty of players could dream of. "When I went through a bad patch, the best thing that happened to my life was my daughter. She was like my medicine, she helped me get over it. I used to keep my feelings to myself, and my wife, Aparna, used to ask me many times, 'How are you are not angry?' " Did Ramesh's soft-spoken, nice-guy image work against him and make him a pushover? "I sometimes wish I practised harder. I was never a Rahul Dravid. People like him and Kumble live and breathe cricket. South Indians rely a lot on talent and not much on big scores. Dravid is a typical West Zone player, who can bat for long hours" "It's there in the Indian system, where more than your performance, people see how you behave on the outside," Ramesh says. "If you are very emotional, people think you are a very aggressive cricketer and more serious about your game. (this is very true) Having said that, there are some really quiet cricketers who are very aggressive when it comes to the crunch. Unfortunately I was not made that way. But I had the fire to perform." Ramesh can now look back at his career objectively. Critics were sceptical about his lack of footwork, which they said would expose him on bouncy surfaces. While Ramesh doesn't entirely agree, he does say he wishes he had employed a better work ethic. "I sometimes wish I practised harder. I was never a Rahul Dravid. People like him and Kumble live and breathe cricket. South Indians rely a lot on talent and not much on big scores. They are happy with a 40 or a fifty. Dravid is a typical West Zone player who can bat for long hours." Ramesh's advice to youngsters who wish to have long Test careers is to follow Dravid's discipline. What separates Dravid and Tendulkar from the rest, he says, is that they decided early in their careers they would not settle for anything less than a decade as a India cricketer. Ramesh is also worried about young players prioritising the IPL over Test cricket. He mentions the example of a player who wanted to play Tests before the IPL simply because his bidding price would be higher. Ramesh hasn't retired; he keeps in touch with the game through first-division cricket in Chennai, where he is still among the runs. Looking back at the last nine years, he knows he could have scripted things better. But he was always destined to remain in the spotlight, and acting has opened new doors. At least now his scripts are written for him. Kanishkaa Balachandran is a sub-editor at Cricinfo --------------- I was in chepauk watching the match when Ramesh debuted.. we were thrilled to see him dispatching wasim and waqat to boundaries.. he made a quick 40 something.. and after tht he made a century against some team i dont remem.. and next i remem tht he played in the worldcup 1999.. and flopped .... other than these I dont know much abt him.. havent followed his career.. reading this article gives me an impression that he was given a raw deal..was it really??
hari504504 Posted May 4, 2010 Posted May 4, 2010 lol..what pristine drives??..that dude has the worst feet movement among all the batsmen I've seen ....He was just standing there and swinging the willow
sandeep Posted May 4, 2010 Posted May 4, 2010 might not have had best foot movement, but was a distinct upgrade over the likes of Debang Gandhi et al. And had the mental strength to make it further than the 'next Gavaskar' from orissa - shiv sunder das - who supposedly had better technique. Ramesh was definitely on the comeback trail that tour, and things could have gone differently for him if he had opened with Veeru instead of Chopra......
sandeep Posted May 4, 2010 Posted May 4, 2010 By the way, Ramesh was very lazy when it came to non-cricket training - he was one of the guys who didnt buy into John Wright's training regimen. That probably didn't help his chances....
anbuchelvan Posted May 4, 2010 Posted May 4, 2010 I have seen one of his interview in D.D in 1998.He was interviewed by one DR.Raman.He was asked whether he was better trhan Sachin .And Sachin was at prime that time.And Ramesh was so arrogant to say yes.And he was never regular at that time.May be he was not knowing arrogance is the root cause of downfall.:hysterical:
The Dark Horse Posted May 4, 2010 Posted May 4, 2010 in b4 people were telling he was the next tendulkar, after the 100 against pakistan:giggle:
vvvslaxman Posted May 4, 2010 Posted May 4, 2010 Actually he had a great debut series. India was running out of options for opening slot and asking Lachu to open. Ramesh outperformed pretty much everyone in that series. He had good timing against both spin and pace. Not a mediocre player by any stretch of the imagination.
putrevus Posted May 4, 2010 Posted May 4, 2010 one good series doesn't make him good batsmen, his overseas record was horrible and he didn't have any technique which got exposed in Australia. He was lazy and looked satisfied after getting a 50 , his complaining that he did not get fair deal is a joke.
vvvslaxman Posted May 4, 2010 Posted May 4, 2010 one good series doesn't make him good batsmen, his overseas record was horrible and he didn't have any technique which got exposed in Australia. He was lazy and looked satisfied after getting a 50 , his complaining that he did not get fair deal is a joke. He played just 2 innings in that series. Dravid averaged 15 in that series. Pretty much everyone bar Sachin struggled with fast pacy wickets deliberately prepared for us. He did well in Srilanka which was his last series. He was the second highest run getter of the SL series. He has the right to be peeved at. But it is his mistake that he didn't work hard against all odds.
kooljatt Posted May 4, 2010 Posted May 4, 2010 one good series doesn't make him good batsmen, his overseas record was horrible and he didn't have any technique which got exposed in Australia. He was lazy and looked satisfied after getting a 50 , his complaining that he did not get fair deal is a joke. it wasnt like he was a one good series man. i was in awe the way he dealt with wasim and waqar. other batsman were not that comfortable, and he was at ease. i remb interesting story about his debut that he didnt have his own cricket equipment with him when he made his debut. Agree with vvs, in no way an ordinary batsman.and yes ! he had a raw deal. :hatsoff:
Mamu Posted May 4, 2010 Posted May 4, 2010 it wasnt like he was a one good series man. i was in awe the way he dealt with wasim and waqar. other batsman were not that comfortable' date=' and he was at ease. i remb interesting story about his debut that he didnt have his own cricket equipment with him when he made his debut. Agree with vvs, in no way an ordinary batsman.and yes ! he had a raw deal. :hatsoff:[/quote'] Waqar was menacing only for 4 - 5 years between 91 and 96. He was just like any other bowler -- rest of the way. And Wasim himself was blowing hot and cold -- his whole career. And this guy just caught them during their off days. He was just flamboyant, nothing more than that. I can list a lot of flamboyant Indians starting with Kambli, Raman -- who were all without any substance.
rkt.india Posted May 4, 2010 Posted May 4, 2010 it wasnt like he was a one good series man. i was in awe the way he dealt with wasim and waqar. other batsman were not that comfortable' date=' and he was at ease. i remb interesting story about his debut that he didnt have his own cricket equipment with him when he made his debut. Agree with vvs, in no way an ordinary batsman.and yes ! he had a raw deal. :hatsoff:[/quote'] Yes it was..i still try to think why he did not play again after that injury for Team India and his record was not bad at all. he was doing well before he picked that injury...he was quite aggressive in his approach..used to hit boundaries most of the time....though his foot work was slow bt his drives were still beautiful and i thought were better thn Ganguly bt he had limited onside play...
Guest Hiten. Posted July 8, 2010 Posted July 8, 2010 Sadagoppan Ramesh as a film star Former India opener Sadagoppan Ramesh is set to appear as the protagonist in his second Tamil movie. Ramesh's character in Patta Patti 50-50 is forced to coach a cricket-obsessed village team, for a match that would decide which of the two captains wins the hand of a girl they are both interested in. :hysterical::hysterical::hysterical::hysterical::hysterical::hysterical: Ramesh is not the first Indian cricketer enter the movie industry, and follows in the footsteps of Kapil Dev, Anil Kumble, Ajay Jadeja, Sandeep Patil and Vinod Kambli. The left-hand batsman found the experience of shooting in a South-Indian village quite interesting. “These guys were like typical Indian fans and kept asking about my former team-mates, mainly Sachin Tendulkar,†said Ramesh, who made an impressive entry into international cricket in 1999 before fizzling out due to injuries and technical shortcomings. He decided to enter movies after losing his place in the Tamil Nadu team, and played the brother of the protagonist in his first film. "I wanted to do something I was comfortable doing. And though there aren't many serious romantic scenes in this movie, having to attempt them with 300 random people watching you was intimidating," said Ramesh, who had no problems facing up to Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis and Shoaib Akhtar, in front of packed Chepauk stands on his Test debut. What kinda ****ed up plot is that :hysterical::hysterical::hysterical:
b555 Posted July 8, 2010 Posted July 8, 2010 What kinda ****ed up plot is that :hysterical::hysterical::hysterical: watelse would ramesh get?
achilles Posted July 8, 2010 Posted July 8, 2010 Read it in the newspapers today. Good for Ramesh :two_thumbs_up: What kinda ****ed up plot is that :hysterical::hysterical::hysterical: :hysterical::hysterical::hysterical::hysterical: Hindi films rock :yay: :aha:
Ram Posted July 8, 2010 Posted July 8, 2010 What kinda ****ed up plot is that :hysterical::hysterical::hysterical: This is Tamizh film Industry and the actor is ex-India cricketer Ramesh. What do you think the plot should be? The impact of global warming on the autumn migratory patterns of barnacle geese? :finger:
mastana Posted July 8, 2010 Posted July 8, 2010 What kinda ****ed up plot is that :hysterical::hysterical::hysterical: 00aklu part 2. :hehe: This is an old news.
yoda Posted July 8, 2010 Posted July 8, 2010 This is Tamizh film Industry and the actor is ex-India cricketer Ramesh. What do you think the plot should be? The impact of global warming on the autumn migratory patterns of barnacle geese? :finger: :giggle:
The Dark Horse Posted July 9, 2010 Posted July 9, 2010 This is Tamizh film Industry and the actor is ex-India cricketer Ramesh. What do you think the plot should be? The impact of global warming on the autumn migratory patterns of barnacle geese? :finger: :hysterical::hysterical::hysterical:
Recommended Posts