Some twelve years back, Baba Indrajith was at one of the lowest points of his cricketing career when he wasn’t picked for India U-19 squad for the World Cup. He was dejected but very happy for his twin brother Baba Aparajith who made the cut and had a good outing Down Under with the side which won the title.
With no U-19 launchpad, Indrajith had no option but to undergo the domestic grind for Tamil Nadu but little would he would have imagined that it would take more than a decade for the next step.
Season-after-season, he kept piling on the runs for Tamil Nadu in the middle-order but could never go beyond the Zone side. Multiple A tours happened during this duration but Indrajith’s name was constantly missing from the squad sheets.
He did get frustrated at times, desperation creeped in to do things differently but one thing remained constant – the runs. After 80 First Class appearances, the sweet reward finally came his way when he was named in India A squad for the tour of Australia.
Yes, Australia. The same Australia where he wanted to go with India U-19 side as a teenager and 12 years later, he will be donning the shining whites and will take a crucial step towards realising his ultimate dream of playing for the country.
In an exclusive conversation with Timesofindia.com, Tamil Nadu’s run-machine talks about his long journey, the injury fears in Duleep Trophy, the “different feeling” in the household and the desperation to get the India A opportunity. Excerpts:
Baba Indrajith plays a shot during the Ranji Trophy match between Tamil Nadu and Karnataka at M.A. Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. Image: PTI
Twelve years back, you missed the U-19 World Cup bus and were naturally very dejected. Cut to 2024, you are very close to taking the next step, a very crucial step, in your career, and it’s going to happen in Australia too. Was there desperation to get that call after years of consistency with the bat?
Australia has been a special place in our family. Because Apar (Aparajith) travelled to Australia a lot of times and won the World Cup. I would have wanted to be at the U-19 World Cup as well but I never felt like that they should have picked me or something like that. I was very happy for Apar but never thought on these lines. Only when you told me, I was able to recollect all of that.
And yes, I think you can say I was desperate. It’s not wrong to say I was. I was actually desperate to get this opportunity because being in the domestic circuit for so long, and obviously that expectation of getting the break would be there. Very, very happy that everything happens for a reason and comes at the right time. So I’m happy that it’s happened now.
Did you approach this season any differently? Duleep Trophy squads were picked by national selectors and good outings would have made the right noise. Did you think about what the future had in store – the A tour… ?
Was the opportunity coming up in my mind? Definitely, yeah. But I wanted to focus on the things I could do correctly because if I put too much pressure on myself then it would be very difficult. But at the same time, if I say that, okay, I didn’t think about all of these tours or whatever that is coming up, I would be lying. So it was there in the back of the mind. And obviously, whenever I wrote it down and I said, like, if I get my eye in, or if I get set, then I will think of these tours or whatever it is coming up, and then I will push myself to score big. So that was there in my mind. But I wasn’t putting too much pressure on myself saying that, okay, this is the thing. I know Duleep Trophy is very very important and I knew if I score runs, I would get an opportunity.
You have been at it for more than a decade in the First Class circuit. You play Tamil Nadu Premier League, have been part of IPL teams and there has been continuous cricket. Did it get exhausting at some point? Did you ask questions like – what more is needed, what do I need to do to take that next step…
Obviously, I mean, all of these thoughts came in. Because, as you said, the domestic scene is not very easy. It’s a very hard toil for so long. So all of these hardships come to you, I mean, come to your mind. So whenever you get the opportunity, or whenever you get the break, that realisation will be even more, because you know how hard you work to get here. So. yeah, in a way, I feel it’s a good thing, because when you get an opportunity like this, you know the value of it, yeah.
And when it finally happened, did it feel overwhelming? Like you put your feet up and say, boss this has finally happened!
I understand what you’re saying, but I mean, like, it hasn’t gone to that level. But obviously it was emotional. I will be very honest, it was emotional because, yeah, I’ve been waiting for this opportunity for a very long time. It was kind of emotional but at the same time, I told myself that, okay, this is just one step ahead because my dream is to play for the country. It is a little bit overwhelming, but not too much, because I don’t want it to be too overwhelming. If that happens, then I will be satisfied just getting selected for India, which I don’t want. I want to go there and do well. I know there will be a lot of hype. Obviously there will be a lot of expectations.
How have your preparations been like for the challenge Down Under?
I have done whatever preparation I could do in terms of skill, mentally, physically, whatever it is, because I know the value of this. So I will give everything. And obviously that dream to play for the country and do well for the country is there. So I don’t want this to be too overwhelming, yeah, but at the same time, I’m leaving the result to the universe. So I will do everything… whatever I’ve been doing in the domestic circuit. I will try and do the same thing there.
I will somehow get to the same pattern. Obviously, wherever you go, even if it is from Chennai to Delhi or from Chennai to Mumbai, conditions are going to be different, correct? So similarly, when you go to Australia, it’s going to be even more different. And you will not crack the code or find the pattern, or even if you play the domestic circuit for so long.
With whatever experience I have, I should go there and adapt quickly. So the adaptation is going to be very, very important, yeah. And if I adapt and things go well, God willing, then I would be very happy.
Even after playing First Class cricket for so long, you don’t have a lot of overseas exposure and there have been only few outings in Bangladesh some time back. How much are your picking from your brother Aparajith because he has been to Australia multiple times.
I have been picking his (Aparajith) brain. And a lot of other people too because if I can get something out of everybody then I feel it’s going to help me. And no better person than Apar because I’ll be able to relate to him much better than anybody else. He has gone there thrice, not just once. So it’s going to be very helpful.
And outside of India, I have played just three games in Bangladesh and that too rain affected. So to be very honest, I have not had exposure outside of India. So as I said, even if it’s outside of India, even if it’s in the subcontinent or outside the continent, it is going to be different. You are going to take time to adapt, and when it’s in Australia, obviously, conditions are going to be even more different. So I don’t want to be overwhelmed or be worried about it.
I’ve accepted the fact that it’s going to be different. It is better to adapt. That’s the one thing I could do from my side, apart from that kind of preparation because you’re not going to play a domestic season there for a month or two or for a year and then get used to the conditions. Apart from that, I feel like I can do a lot of visualisation and preparation in terms of watching matches and everything. I’ve been doing that personally but want to get too much into the details but I’ve been preparing myself.
Two of your senior state-mates have been very vocal in their support for you. Both Dinesh Karthik and R Ashwin have been regularly highlighting your efforts in the domestic circuit on social media. How special is it to get their support, and how has it been spending a lot of time with Ashwin during the TNPL?
I think their help has been great… immense. DK, I know him personally for a very long time and he’s been supportive and also helpful in my game as well, in terms of preparation and everything, whatever it is, he doesn’t hold back. I can call him anytime and then ask for his help, Even before the Duleep Trophy, he told me certain things as to how to practice and go about things, and Ashwin has been an immense help too.
There is no need for Ashwin or Dinesh Karthik to put out a tweet or be supportive on social media for me, but they take that extra initiative and step because whenever someone does well, they make sure that it is seen outside. Because you know it’s not easy. If they don’t put it, nobody’s going to ask them why. If they don’t show their support, nobody is going to ask… but to take that initiative and be supportive has been very, very helpful.
And one thing with Ashwin is that he doesn’t make you feel like you’re talking to someone who’s taken over 500 Test wickets. He comes down to your level and talks. And it’s not like he plays in the TNPL for the sake of it. He plays it with intensity and wants you to improve your game all the time. So all of these things, even if it’s a different format, it definitely helps.
And when you play Ashwin in the net(s) you will definitely get the confidence. So you feel like that if you can play a bowler who has picked 500 Test wickets, you will be able to manage other players. Sometimes you get overwhelmed with the players who you’ve seen on TV, and then directly go and play with them. Okay, these are like, big bowlers, big players. You feel like that. But when you are able to face the challenge and take the challenge of Ashwin, who has taken 500 Test wickets you will gain a lot of confidence.
And if he gives a pat on the back, saying that, okay, you are doing well, then nothing more than that. That confidence is going to be very, very high. And obviously DK has a lot of experience in the IPL, is commentating all around the world, is coaching and everything. So they both have been very, very instrumental.
How’s the mood in the house – parents, Aparajith…
It’s a bit different because obviously it’s a new challenge for Apar moving to another state and playing as a professional. It’s a different challenge and it’s different for us also because we are so used to playing for the same team. So it’s a bit different. But in the household, I think they’re very, very happy for me. Father, mother… because they have seen my struggles for all these years, and they’re very, very happy for me, and obviously Apar is also very happy. But it’s difficult for my parents also because 10 or 12 years back, the scenario was different. Now the scenario is different.
So as parents, you want both your kids to do well. But sometimes it is different. It is different. Difficult for them to handle all of that. But the good thing is that between me and Apar there’s always been a good rapport. We have always helped each other become better cricketers. So that has been okay, but overall, right now, everybody is happy for me, and they want me to go there, enjoy myself and do well.
You have had some freak injuries in the past but how frustrating was it to get injured during the Duleep Trophy fixture. You have batted with stitches, returned from multiple surgeries but this was very close to the Australia tour…
To be very honest with you, the minute I fell down, because I knew the Australia tour was coming, I didn’t tell anybody, but I was aiming for it. But the minute I fell down, the first thought went to Australia, will I be missing it again? Missing the India opportunity again? So I troubled a lot of my strength and conditioning courses and physios asking, What is the grade? One, what if it’s Grade 2? How long will it take? In 10 days, one week and all of that. And I did a lot of research.
When you are scared or worried or anxious, you will do all of those things to make sure that you somehow get on the flight to Australia, because it happened on the third game. I thought, okay, I was going to play the Rest of India game, and I will get the opportunity because I got two good scores in Duleep Trophy. And that third game, I was batting on 35 so I thought I have a decent chance to go to Australia.
But the minute I fell down all those things… like I was really, really upset. The physical pain was there but mentally I was gone. But I think with a lot of help from the strength and conditioning coaches I did everything possible. I did absolutely everything possible, right from my diet to my sleep time to everything to make sure that I got fit for the first Ranji Trophy game. Because only if I played Ranji, I will be cleared for fitness. So all of these things were running in my mind, and I think, as they say, everything happens for a reason, and I’m happy and thankful that I was able to be fit for the first time.
