Throw By Throw Account

- Ajay Naidu

BABY-FACED AND SHY, this lean, diminutive person is always the first man to enter the field and the last to leave, every time the Men in Blue turn up for a practice session. In the heat and dust of a gruelling practice session, this man has a significant presence as, one by one, he tests all the top batsmen in the side with his pace, bounce, swing and guile. Mahendra Singh Dhoni calls him the only ‘foreign pacer’ in the squad, for his unique ability to fire missiles consistently at 140-150 kph at the batsmen, while Virat Kohli openly admires the role he has played in fine tuning his art at the batting crease.

The man who has managed to keep a distinctly low profile, amid all the superstars around him in Team India, is Raghavendraa, or just ‘Raghu’ to everyone around him. He has been a regular member of the team’s support staff for seven years now, and, over the years, has perfected the unique skill of giving ‘throw downs’ to the Indian batsmen from half the length of the pitch, which allows them to come to terms with dealing with fast, accurate and hostile pace bowling. For variety, Raghu can also swing and reverse swing the ball. The unknown (and unsung) man with the ‘golden arm’ had worked on his special skills since he was a teenager who, like millions of others, had a desire to play for India. Again, like most others, he couldn’t make it big in his desired role, but a lot of hard work, and fate, still ensured him a regular place in the Indian squad as an ‘Assistant Trainer’.