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Romancing the willow

PHOTO: S.S. KUMAR

STRAIGHT DRIVE S. Badrinath

With his funky hairstyle (inspired by Christiano Ronaldo) and well-toned, tattooed arms, he looks quite the rock star, especially when he poses with his bat as a guitar. But he is a cricketer, and a good one at that. Meet S. Badrinath, who had qui te a role to play for the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at the IPL and now has been selected to play in the One-Day International series against the West Indies.

Of the one-and-a-half hours I spent talking with him, he cradled his bat for the most part. When I point out that he has been fidgeting with it since the beginning of the interview, he reluctantly keeps it aside and adds sheepishly, “Yeah I love my bat and the game a bit too much.” You can’t really blame him, after all he has spent the last 20 years doing what he does best, playing cricket. “I love to sing. I joined a singing class. But once I started singing they sent me back and said ‘Be happy with your cricket’,” laughs Badri.

Having played a few ODIs for India and both editions of the IPL for Chennai Super Kings, Badri is eagerly awaiting a Test debut. He was in fine form at the IPL and also bagged a Man of the Match award when Chennai Super Kings beat Rajasthan Royals. “I scored 59 not out and that game took us to the top of the table. The IPL was a good experience. Our team had great potential but it was disappointing to get out at the semi-finals,” rues the 28-year-old.

CSK’s yellow jerseys made quite an impression because they had the spectators screaming, “Throw us your jersey.” Badri says he enjoyed playing for the IPL and made some good friends. “I learnt a lot from Mathew Hayden. He helped me quite a bit. While batting together he would tell me what the opposition captain and bowler were thinking. Mike Hussey too has been helpful. He just sent his book over.” Badri believes that his situation is similar to that of Hussey, who had made a late test debut and is doing extremely well now.

Badri was selected to the Indian team in 2007 during the India-Australia series held in India. He didn’t get to play then but another opportunity came up during the ODI series in Sri Lanka, when he was called to replace an injured Sachin Tendulkar, who incidentally is his favourite. “Sachin is at the top of my favourite cricketers’ list. He is very approachable and down to earth. Off the field, he’s bubbly and has a great sense of humour,” says Badri as he starts swinging his bat again. He puts it aside when I tell him that he probably carries his bat much more than he carries his daughter. Married for three years, Badri has an eight-month-old-daughter Daksha. “It was a love marriage. I met Suneethi through a friend’s girlfriend on New Year’s Eve and after seeing each other for three years we decided to tie the knot,” he blushes.

So what does he do when he isn’t playing cricket? “I love watching movies and I am a music buff. I carry my speakers with me whenever I am travelling,” he says. He also enjoys swimming and is planning to give golf a shot. Wildlife is another thing that fascinates this cricketer, who often watches wildlife videos on YouTube. “In South Africa, I went for morning and night safaris. In fact (Laxmipathy) Balaji and I even planned to go to Kruger National Park but sadly didn’t have enough time for it.”

And that’s not all he did there. While most men deny their penchant for shopping, here’s a man who admits to his love for big brands. “I love shopping for clothes, shoes and belts.” He shopped a lot there and piled up on brands such as Ed Hardy and Armani. “I like sports cars too. I plan to buy an Audi Q5 just for me,” he says with a gleam in his eyes. As we wind up I ask him if it’s his day off. (He is employed with Chemplast Sanmar.) “You thought I go to the office and sit down and work?” asks Badri looking amused, and then explains, “I am on their payrolls and get paid for playing cricket for them. It’s good to earn doing what you enjoy the most, isn’t it?”

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