Silambarasan doesn’t know what to call it. Over the course of a long conversation, he struggles to find an apt word to describe the moments that have changed his life. The 28-year-old uses words like fate, destiny, and luck... but again says, he isn’t sure if they are the right words. It is only at the end of the chat that he finally believes he has found a word to describe his life. Magic.
Silambarasan, a Tamil Nadu pacer, doesn’t have any magic wand. Instead, give him a cricket ball, he knows how to get wickets with his slingy action (it is already attracting interest from several IPL franchises). In the seven matches of the Vijay Hazare Trophy, he picked up 15 wickets as TN ended as runners-up in the meet that ended on Sunday in Jaipur.
The perks of turning out for the stateside has brought a huge change in his life. A school topper in class 10, he pursued a diploma in Electrical and Electronics Engineering only because he got a free seat in a college in Puthur. And he boarded the bus to Chennai for playing league cricket only because his team paid him the bus fare. Since then he hasn’t looked back, and his career and life is on the ascendence against all possible odds.
A solo effort
Growing up in Sendirakillai, a nondescript village in Cuddalore, where stormy weathers can affect livelihood every monsoon, poverty was a constant companion. If things were not pleasant at home where his mother and father were daily wage labourers, pursuing his passion (cricket) was not easy. In a village where caste plays a dominant role, Silambarasan has spent days watching other boys of his age play cricket from the sidelines because, “They never used to include me. I never understood why at that point. And all that I used to do was take a coconut tree branch, get an old rubber ball and hit it as far as I can. I liked hitting the ball, but never found anyone to bowl at me. And I must be the only one who has played cricket alone regularly. Once I was tired of hitting the ball, I would run in and bowl until I needed a break. Watching that, people in my village thought I had lost it mentally. Looking back, even I laugh at it,” Silambarasan says.
All of it would change soon for Silambarasan after a few kids saw him bowl alone on barren land. For a player who survived on just a meal or two during his early days, Silambarasan always had a pace, which helped him stand out. “Nobody in that area used to be as quick as me. So they started having fights to include me in their teams. I don’t know how quickly all of it changed. Because earlier, they used to make me play for both teams as a joker, and I won’t get a chance to bowl or bat; just field throughout the day and go back. From there to get to bowl in the match regularly was a good feeling,” he narrates.
Apart from bowling quick, what made Silambarasan unique was his action, one made famous by Sri Lankan great Lasith Malinga. Sometime in the mid-2000s after Malinga made his international debut, Silambarasan’s younger brother had seen him bowl on TV and had replicated the action. “I couldn’t pick him at all. I found it tough to put bat on ball. So I started practising it and in no time picked up the action and started bowling in matches. Soon, word spread around the district about me,” Silambarsan says.
Persistent play
Till 16, he had never watched live cricket. And it was only when the then TN government under chief minister M Karunanidhi distributed television sets did he get to watch a cricket match live. Silambarasan remembers how he watched in disbelief as Malinga bowled. The action was very similar to his. “The first time I saw Tendulkar bat was only in 2009. Until then, all that I had seen of him were through black and white photos in newspapers. That was that. Never knew how he played and what all shots he had. Our village had only one TV and they used to show movies only on Sundays. And if I wanted to watch cricket, I won’t be allowed inside other houses. When the government gave us the TV, the first thing I did was to get cable connection and that is when I saw Malinga bowl and I thought even my action would work,” Silambarasan says.
The big turning point in his life arrived in Kancheepuram when he was playing for the district in a local match which incidentally saw TN captain Vijay Shankar in attendance. By now Silambarasan had already played for Cuddalore district and had even taken a break from cricket to work as an apprentice in a couple of organisations to keep his family afloat. “Nobody told me to go work, but looking at my mother struggling alone, I wanted to help my younger siblings in whatever way possible. My father, who is otherwise very affectionate, never had a regular income and every now and then used to disappear for days or even months. We would assume he has gone for some work, but he would come back without a single paisa. Under these circumstances to go play cricket in Nagapattinam would cost me Rs 26 when my mother’s daily wage was only Rs 30. So, I took a break, worked... but I couldn’t stay without playing cricket. I left it after a year and then got a chance to play in Chennai soon after,” he says.
Watching him in the match, Vijay called Silambarasan for trials at India Cements where he impressed the coaches. “They asked me to bowl only three-four balls in the nets and they picked me in their team. That was life-changing for me. From there on, I got the best of facilities to develop my skills and there were good coaches and players to guide me. Once I came here, I never felt like an outsider. It helped me to just focus on cricket,” he shares.
Not leaving it to chance
In his first season in a team comprising Ranji regulars, opportunities were hard to come but in matches, he got to play, and he showed promise. While a subsequent stint with Young Stars gave him regular chances where he grew as a bowler, this period also saw Silambarsan complete his bachelor’s degree with help from his state teammates. “You need a bachelor’s degree to get a job in these corporate houses, so India Cements helped me get admission at Guru Nanak College. Knowing my struggles Vijay, Baba Aparajith and Baba Indrajith paid my term fees. Malolan Rangarajan, R Prasanna and L Vignesh have also helped with exam fees and other stuff.”
While he consistently performed in the First Division, a call-up to the TN team arrived only last season. With pandemic bringing all cricketing activities to a standstill, Silambarasan was back in his village when he got a call from Prasanna, Tamil Nadu’s assistant coach, asking if he could turn up for a practice match. “I took a Covid test and joined the team. Since the BCCI had increased the squad length to 20, thought I would get a chance, but even then I didn’t because all the regulars were available. But this time with a good performance in the Tamil Nadu Premier League, I got a chance to play. Hopefully, this would continue for a few more years,” Silambarsan says.
Considering his performance and the glorious uncertainties that has filled his life, an IPL call-up is not far away. It’s one he fully deserves.