Krishnamachari Srikkanth

Krishnamachari Srikkanth pronunciation  (born 21 December 1959) also known as Kris Srikkanth is a former captain of the Indian cricket team and former chairman of the selection committee. He represented Tamil Nadu in the Indian domestic circuit. He is also a commentator on Star Sports Tamil.

In this Indian name, the name Krishnamachari is a patronymic, not a family name, and the person should be referred to by the given name, Srikkanth.

Kris Srikkanth
கிருஷ்ணமாச்சாரி ஸ்ரீகாந்த்

Srikkanth (left) with K. Hari Prasad at a social-awareness event
Personal information
Full name	Krishnamachari Srikkanth
Born	(1959-12-21) 21 December 1959 Madras, Madras State, India
Batting	Right-handed
Bowling	Right-arm medium Right-arm offbreak
Role	Batsman
Relations	Anirudha Srikkanth (son)
International information
National side	India (1981–1992)
Test debut (cap 154)	27 November 1981 v England
Last Test	1 February 1992 v Australia
ODI debut (cap 47)	25 November 1981 v England
Last ODI	15 March 1992 v South Africa
Career statistics
Competition Test ODI FC LA Matches 43 146 134 184 Runs scored 2,062 4,091 7,349 5,209 Batting average 29.88 29.01 34.99 29.26 100s/50s 2/12 4/27 12/45 5/32 Top score 123 123 172 123 Balls bowled 216 712 2,533 961 Wickets 0 25 29 31 Bowling average – 25.64 49.72 29.06 5 wickets in innings – 2 0 2 10 wickets in match – 0 0 0 Best bowling – 5/27 3/14 5/27 Catches/stumpings 40/– 42/– 93/– 53/–
Source: ESPNcricinfo, 10 November 2014

Career

Srikkanth played domestic cricket, for Tamil Nadu and South Zone. He made his One Day International debut against England in Ahmedabad in 1981, followed two days later by his Test debut against England at Bombay at the age of 21. He opened the innings partnering Sunil Gavaskar. Known for his aggressive batting style, he was an early role model for opening batsmen in future years to adopt a similar approach.

As he matured, he tempered his aggression somewhat and became a mainstay of the Indian cricket team. He was an integral member of the Indian squad when they won the 1983 Prudential World Cup and 1985 Benson & Hedges World Championship of Cricket. In the 1983 World Cup final against the West Indies, Srikkanth top scored for India.[1]

He was made the captain of the Indian team in 1989, incidentally under his captaincy Sachin Tendulkar made his debut. He remained the captain of the team for India's tour of Pakistan in 1990 and managed to draw all the Tests of the series. But the selectors were disappointed with his batting failures and dropped him. He returned two years later and played for another year before being dropped again. He retired from international cricket in 1993. He was the first Indian player to score a half-century and pick up 5 wickets in an ODI. He achieved this feat against New Zealand at Visakhapatnam in 1988.

Srikkanth holds the unusual distinction of scoring the only run ever scored in international cricket at Ray Mitchell Oval, in Mackay, Australia. The venue hosted its only international match during the 1992 Cricket World Cup, and the match was washed out after two deliveries.[2]

In June 2013, Srikkanth participated in the 6th season of Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa.[3]

Style

Srikkanth was an opening batsman noted for his aggressive attacking strokes in contrast to his first batting partner and senior Sunil Gavaskar. He was known to take risks even in the early part of the innings, often scoring boundaries over the inner ring of fielders. He shares three 100-run ODI parternships with Ravi Shastri which included the first for India in ODI.

Post retirement

After retirement he had a stint as the coach of the India 'A' team. He has since been a broadcaster and commentator with various sports and news channels. On 18 February 2008, Krish Srikkanth was named the ambassador for the Chennai Super Kings franchise of Indian Premier League.[4]

On 27 September 2008, he was appointed the Chief Selector of the Indian Cricket team.[5] His tenure ended in 2012.

On 20 December 2012, Krish Srikkanth was named the ambassador for the Sunrisers Hyderabad franchise of Indian Premier League.[6]

Also, he is a commentator for the TV Network Star Sports Tamil. Srikkanth is also included to the panel of all india council of sports(AICS) as a Member on Jan 2020.[7]

Statistics

Srikkanth played 43 Tests for India, scoring 2,062 runs at an average of 29.88. In ODIs, he played 146 matches and scored 4,091 runs at an average of 29.01. He also bowled off spin in ODIs, taking 25 wickets at an average of 25.64.

Personal life

Srikkanth is an electrical engineer who graduated from College of Engineering, Guindy[8] in Chennai. Srikkanth has two sons, one of whom, Anirudha, plays for Tamil Nadu cricket team and has played for both Chennai Super Kings and Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Indian Premier League.

In popular culture

Jiiva will play Kris Srikanth in the upcoming film 83.[9]

References

1. "Scorecard, 1983 World Cup Final". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 19 May 2014.
2. "India vs Sri Lanka". Cricket Archive. Retrieved 11 December 2011.
3. "Krishnamachari Srikkanth contesting in Jhalak Dikhla Jaa 6".
4. "Sport / Cricket : It is Kings". The Hindu. 19 February 2008. Retrieved 23 September 2009.
5. "Mental strength as important as talent - Srikkanth | India Cricket News | Cricinfo.com". Content-eap.cricinfo.com. Retrieved 23 September 2009.
6. "Kris Srikkanth appointed mentor of Hyderabad Sunrisers". Archived from the original on 17 February 2013. Retrieved 20 December 2012.
7. "Srikkanth included in government panel of sports".
8. Vidya Raja (31 July 2018). "India's Oldest Engineering College Turns 225: 6 Alumni Who Have Made Guindy Proud!". The Better India.
9. Udhav Naig (2 February 2019). "Jiiva to play Krishnamachari Srikkanth in '83'". The Hindu.

External links

• Krishnamachari Srikkanth at ESPNcricinfo
• Krishnamachari Srikkanth on Twitter

Preceded by Dilip Vengsarkar	Indian National Test Cricket Captain 1989/90	Succeeded by Mohammad Azharuddin

Preceded by Dilip Vengsarkar	Chairman, Selection Committee September 2008 – present	Succeeded by Sandeep Patil