Krishnamachari Srikkanth

Krishnamachari Srikkanth pronunciationⓘ (born 21 December 1959), also known as Cheeka, is a former captain of the Indian cricket team and former chairman of the selection committee. He played a crucial part in India's team batting line up as opener especially on the 1983 Cricket World Cup winning squad by contributing crucial 38 runs as a top scorer in the finals against West Indies. Known for his aggressive opening style, he has represented the Indian National Cricket team and Tamil Nadu in Indian domestic cricket. He is also a commentator on Star Sports Tamil. In 2019, he received the C. K. Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award, the highest honour conferred by BCCI on a former player.[1]

"Srikkanth" redirects here. For other uses, see Srikanth.
In this Indian name, the name Krishnamachari is a patronymic, and the person should be referred to by the given name, Srikkanth.

Kris Srikkanth
Srikkanth at a social-awareness event
Personal information
Full name
Krishnamachari Srikkanth
Born (1959-12-21) 21 December 1959
Madras, India
NicknameCheeka
BattingRight-handed
Bowling
  • Right-arm medium
  • Right-arm offbreak
RoleBatsman
RelationsAnirudha Srikkanth Adithya Srikkanth
International information
National side
Test debut (cap 154)27 November 1981 v England
Last Test1 February 1992 v Australia
ODI debut (cap 37)25 November 1981 v England
Last ODI15 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. He was called by his fans as Viv Richards of India

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 in the finals.[2]

He was made the captain of the Indian team in 1989. In the same year, Sachin Tendulkar made his debut under Srikkanth's captaincy . 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. Srikanth Ended his Test Career with 5 Catches in an Innings during his Last Test Match.

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.[3] In June 2013, Srikkanth participated in the 6th season of Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa.[4]

In February 2022, he participated in StarPlus's Smart Jodi as Contestant with his wife, Vidya.[5]

Style

Srikkanth was an opening batsman noted for his aggressive attacking strokes in contrast to his first batting partner and senior Sunil Gavaskar. He is the pioneer in Pinch-hitting in ODIs at least a decade before Mark Greatbatch started in the 1992 World-Cup & Sachin Tendulkar, Sanath Jayasuriya much later. 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 partnerships 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.[6]

On 27 September 2008, he was appointed the Chief Selector of the Indian Cricket team.[7] His tenure ended in 2012.

On 20 December 2012, Krish Srikkanth was named the ambassador for the Sunrisers Hyderabad franchise of Indian Premier League.[8]

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 in January 2020.[9]

Personal life

Srikkanth is an electrical engineer who graduated from College of Engineering, Guindy[10] in Chennai. Srikkanth is married to Vidya.[11][12] 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. Their eldest son is Aditya.

Television
Year Show Role Notes
2013 Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa 6 Contestant Eliminated 15th place
2022 Smart JodiSeason 1
  • Jiiva played Kris Srikanth in the Hindi, Telugu, Tamil multilingual film 83 (2021).[13] His depicted Cheeka's style and sense of humour very brilliantly and audience praised him for the acting.

References
  1. "BCCI Annual Awards 2018-19 - List of Winners". Board of Control for Cricket in India. Retrieved 25 April 2023.
  2. "Scorecard, 1983 World Cup Final". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 19 May 2014.
  3. "India vs Sri Lanka". Cricket Archive. Retrieved 11 December 2011.
  4. "Krishnamachari Srikkanth contesting in Jhalak Dikhla Jaa 6". 4 June 2013.
  5. "Exclusive! Former cricketer Krishnamachari Srikkanth and wife Vidya to participate in Smart Jodi". Times of India. 12 February 2022. Retrieved 24 February 2022.
  6. "Sport / Cricket : It is Kings". The Hindu. 19 February 2008. Archived from the original on 2 March 2008. Retrieved 23 September 2009.
  7. "Mental strength as important as talent - Srikkanth | India Cricket News | Cricinfo.com". Content-eap.cricinfo.com. Retrieved 23 September 2009.
  8. "Kris Srikkanth appointed mentor of Hyderabad Sunrisers". Archived from the original on 17 February 2013. Retrieved 20 December 2012.
  9. "Srikkanth included in government panel of sports". The Times of India. 21 January 2020.
  10. Vidya Raja (31 July 2018). "India's Oldest Engineering College Turns 225: 6 Alumni Who Have Made Guindy Proud!". The Better India.
  11. S. H. Venkatramani Raj Chengappa (31 March 1987). "When Srikkanth bats, there is thunder and lightning: Bishen Singh Bedi". India Today.
  12. Basu, Soma (14 September 2012). "'I'm brutally frank': Krishnamachari Srikkanth". The Hindu – via www.thehindu.com.
  13. Udhav Naig (2 February 2019). "Jiiva to play Krishnamachari Srikkanth in '83'". The Hindu.
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