Happy Birthday Ashwin

Each time I step on the hallowed grounds of Gennext Cricket Institute, I know that I am in a different zone. I know for certain that I am in for a visual treat for the body mind and soul. I can pick on each person who works over here and everyone will have a positive story to relate to. I call it hallowed grounds because here is where raw talent is molded into an all round human being. Today also happens to be the day when our mentor Ravichandran Ashwin was born. We all got together to present to him on his day a collective bouquet of memories and conversations with people who mean a lot to him, who have spent quality time with him and have been a part of his life outside of his own immediate family. Rightly said that he is extremely focused on his goals and a person who strives for perfection. A Few others say that Ashwin is someone who is not averse to experimenting. Some said that he is full of pranks and a very loving person to be around with.  For me as TBK I have found him to be very simple and most easily approachable. To be reborn as a new avtaar, that of TBK, the credit goes to you my friend. As I was crossing the Pondy Bazaar Signal, a gentleman on a two wheeler accosted me and said "TallBoyKarthik Sir I keep reading your blogs on Ashwin." Thanks to you a new passion is born and a new personality carved out.  Happy Birthday Ashwin from all of us at Gennext Cricket Institute. Have fun reading this blog and have a wonderful day.

Ravichandran Uncle-Founder Gennext Cricket Institute

I recall that there was nothing called a birthday celebration in my own childhood. However all that changed the moment my wife came into my life. Ashwin was born and my wife would deck up the entire house with all kinds of baloons and festoons. Little Ashwin would get up in the morning and wear his new clothes and go to school with a packet of chocolates to be distributed among his school friends. Later on in the evening Ashwins friends would come home and we would have a party at home with soft drinks and chips. Ashwin would enjoy the evening with friends, playing some games and they would all have fun. I am thankful to the Almighty for having blessed me with a son like Ashwin. I am also thankful to the Lady Gynaecologist- Dr Saraswathi Ramachandran in whose hands I saw Ashwin for the first time, the day he was born. I am not in touch with her but wish to meet her some day to thank her wholeheartedly. Happy Birthday Ashwin-Lots of Love and Blessings from Appa and Amma.

Sudarshan-COO Gennext Cricket Institute

It's a privilege for us at Gen-Next to have Ash as our mentor. I love his sense of humor & the fact that he has no airs about him. The Knowledge transfer from Ash to our Gen-Next coaches have done them a world of good & has helped us in running a successful academy. Happy birthday, Ash! Wishing you a fabulous year, I know you will ace the challenges that lie ahead. Keep inspiring Gen-Next as you always have. #Ash31

Srinivasan-Head Coach at Gennext Cricket Institute

I have always felt that Ashwin is extremely open minded towards feedback. I would say that he is an ideal student of the game of cricket. Whenever he has sought my counsel I have offered the same to him . The best part of his character is that he implements suggestions given to him almost immediately. He is never satisfied till these inputs are put into practiced and implemented to perfection. Once he wanted me to work on his sixer hitting abilities specific to the swing of the bat and the bat flow. So I helped him perfect the art. Soon after this in a One Day International match against New Zealand at home, India needed one run to win and then Ashwin came into bat. He could have easily taken a single and finished the match but Ashwin chose to finish the match with a huge sixer. He was keen to try the shot that he had just picked up. Post the match he messaged me with a child like exuberance on how happy he was at hitting that six. Such is his eagerness to learn new things and experiment. I wish Ashwin a Very Happy Birthday and many more successes and laurels in the years to come.

Aravind-Coach at Gennext Cricket Institute

I enjoy your company buddy and Wish to continue this partnership for many more Years to come. Happy Birthday Ash.

Santosh-Coach at Gennext Cricket Institute

We were playing a school game against the Salwan Boys high school Delhi at the Chinnaswamy stadium in Bangalore. We got 171 in 50 overs and they were 101/1 in about 27 or 28 overs.We needed to take wickets to win the game since it was a low total. Ashwin came on to bowl and he literally gave away only 1 to 2 runs every over. At the other end, we were alternating with myself and Kedar bowling. Whenever he gave away less than 3 runs in his over, he would come running to us and tell us that the since there were less runs scored in the previous over, we can try for a wicket in the next over and in the process even if we gave away 5 or 6 runs it was alright.He used to bowl tight overs in one end and let us take wickets from the other end.Eventually we went on to win that game by 2 runs. But his thought process at such a young age was so different from the others and his ability to think in pressure situations is what makes him an unique individual.
Wish him a very happy birthday and may he reach greater heights.

Subash Chandran-Coach at Gennext Cricket Institute

Ash's personal qualities are something which are very remarkable & that’s the reason he stands out as a cult cricketer. He treats his family and close friends as his highest priority & never allows others opinion invade his strong beliefs & goals. He is extremely analytical & knows his strength & weakness clearly. We have seen cricketers doing typical conventional styles but many were afraid to take risks & try new things. He has huge guts to experiment and innovate. For that you need to work hard and prove yourself. While many criticized his experimentation, when he succeeds the world appreciates his qualities and style for instance his carom ball, leg breaks etc. Each a masterpiece of his own making . I will call him as cricket Einstein or Steve Jobs of cricket. His basket always has plenty of ideas to be picked & all captains including Kohli have acknowledged the same till date. I remember in one of the practice matches long time back, he started bowling like Sunil Narain & he bowled one ball in his action in an international match. Another one is his high sense of humour. He is huge prankster & loves having fun. He will not spare anyone close to him including lovely dogs as well.

Kedar-Coach at Gennext Cricket Institute 

It was an under 16 state game versus Hyderabad at ACA-VDCA stadium.Back then R.Ashwin was an opening batsman who also bowled off spin, incidentally he scored a double hundred this game and went on to play for India under-16 later that year.They were 90 for 7 at one stage and one of their 7 down batsman Baljeet Singh i think that was his name,went on to score a hundred for them.The 8th wicket partnership was a big one for Hyderabad and they batted for a lot of overs.To break the partnership we tried all different things but unfortunately nothing worked. Ashwin bowled few overs - over the wickets CUTTING DIAGONAL like how a left arm spinner bowls around the wicket cutting diagonal.At that point of time we sort of laughed it off but looking back at it now that sort of thinking is unheard of 15 years ago.I think thats what differentiated Ashwin from the rest – his ability to see things differently and come up with different solutions for a problem.It was not just trying different solutions, it was the confidence with which he went about it made the difference.  Happy Birthday Ash...                      

Anand Narasimhan-Coach at Gennext Cricket Institute

First time I saw Ash when he was sitting on the road side shop and having soup (I guess it was 2011 or 12 if i am correct, sitting on the median and having that soup) That's the first sign of Ash to me!! And till now he hasn't changed a bit. The way he comes to ground whenever he has time and talking to the players and giving them advice, is something that is unique to him.The good thing about him is that he makes sure that, the particular person understands what is required from him,explained in such a way that he stands to deliver!! Thats the beauty about him!! Wish him all the success in future not only in cricket in life as well with family and his friends 

Shekar-Operations Manager at Gennext Cricket Institute

Year 2010 at Sathyam Cinemas. Occasion: CSK merchandise unveiling. Ashwin, one of the three chief guests for the event, kindly obliged a 24-year old boy with an autograph. 7 years later, after a gazillion laurels and distinctions, Ashwin has helped the autograph-seeking boy in making a career out of cricket. The boy in question is ME. Ash, I am indebted to you for what you have done to me in this short period of time. Wish you a rocking birthday. May you remain an ageless warrior continuing to inspire people to enjoy whatever they do. Wish you an amazing year full of laurels.

Kumar-Facilities Manager at Gennext Cricket Institute

Ashwin anna means a lot to me in my life. He keeps encouraging me both on and off the field. He insists that I should be proficient as far as my English and Computer skills are concerned. He constantly wants me to up my skills and better myself as an individual. Anna is a very simple person and loving at heart. Once his personal driver had to leave the ground on some urgent work. So Anna asked me drop him home on my two wheeler. I quickly went to a shop bought a hankerchief. He covered his face, with the hankerchief,wore a cap and I drove him back home on my bike. I can never forget this incident. Happy Birthday Ashwin Anna.

Rama-Coach at Gennext Cricket Institute

Happy birthday Ashwin anna. Street Cricket it was the first time we met and guess there was no looking back from there on.. Ice Boys, Rain Cricket and much more fun that we had together... May God shower his blessings on you and I wish you have a wonderful year ahead... 

Kaushik- Coaching Intern at Gennext Cricket Institute

I have been a  fan of Ashwin from 2011 when I started following him.. but never thought that 7 years later would be working under his guidance. The first time I met him he said "don't work for success, but do justice to the role assigned and other things will follow ". It seriously inspired me!! During the initial days I used to call him Ashwin sir at times but as days passed he had me into a comfort level and nowadays its more like speaking to my brother. I have seen him from close for days and learnt a lot from him including his hunger to perform and succeed. I admire the way he sweats it out during the training sessions to get himself up for the upcoming tours. Every time he comes to the ground in session times, he never misses an opportunity to spend some time with the boys, giving them sound advice what they need as a upcoming cricketer!  I have finally found a place myself to  express my passion and under the guidance of Ashwin. Wish you many more happy happy returns Ash Anna !! God bless you for a brilliant successful cricket career !! My Advances wishes for the Cricket record of fastest to 300 Test Wickets !!

Guha Kartikeyan-Coaching Intern at Gennext Cricket Institute

                                                                      

















Happy Birthday Ashwin Anna. Every cricket fanatic's dream would be meet an international cricketer and my craziness and love towards the game has not only made me to meet you but also provided me an opportunity to be a Gen-Nexter... You got to know me through my works, especially the "200th different batsman" one... One thing I like in you is the way you constantly update yourself-courtesy the ever-improving analysis methods. Incidents that I fondly remember are when you made Vijay Mallya pay back for his laugh during the 2011 IPL auctions by picking up his big fish Gayle in the 4th ball of the final. During the spells when you get a good rhythm going, one of my friends with whom I spend watching most of India's matches compares the rhythm of yours to a drummer mesermarizing his audience with the sticks. I pray to the Lord Almighty to bless you with good health and fitness to achieve more for the nation through your illustrious career. Now, How do I sign off??... My special way... with a stat... You have taken 494 international wickets... 6 away from 500... only 29 players have achieved the milestone of 500 international. wickets in their career... Hope you round off to become the 30th soon and provide me more stat-aches...

Srinivasan Venkatachalam-Coaching Intern at Gennext Cricket Institute

It is a dream for every cricket fan to take a picture with a international cricketer. glad that I can share my thoughts some with India's legendary Spinner, each time he visits the institute.. It was my first day of Summer camp at Gen Next as a student. I was really excited and was bowling in the nets Sudarshan the COO of Gennext Cricket Institute asked me "Hi Srini, How is the Program" I replied "Super Anna I am enjoying it." Then came the moment perhaps I had always dreamt about. Ash was running around the ground and after he finished his drills he came across to the nets where I was bowling . He just had a look at one ball that I bowled. He immediately asked me "Are u a Dale Steyn fan??" I was shell shocked that after watching just one ball he knew that my bowling action resembled that of Dale Steyn. After that he called me as Dale for several times. It was nice to hear an international player call me by name with tag it along with my idol's name. I am just 4 months old at Gennext Cricket Institute. I am a coaching intern for the junior boys. Thanks to that legend for giving me space in his wonderful institute to work with some wonderful human beings.Wishing Ashwin Anna a Very Happy Birthday. Hope he spins out many more batsman in the future and creates more history in the cricketing arena...

Uvashree-Coaching Intern at Gennext Cricket Institute

Wishing you a very happy and joyful birthday Ashwin anna. It's a privilege to work in your academy and I consider this as a golden opportunity to kick start my career. May God shower his bountiful blessings on you (with success and peace to you and your family). May this year bring you many more 5-fers and Centuries...

Gennext Cricket-Fresh Perspectives for a New Season

Rome was never built in a day. It took years of spirited effort, process, team work, patience, dedication and above sacrifice to build the great city. We at Gennext Cricket Institute truly believe that we have a system in place to churn out outstanding human beings, role model citizens. When tiny tots walk into our park at the beginning of each season, it is our charter to the parent that we will transform the child into a champion. Now here by Champion we implore the reader not to mistake it to be a Champion in the game of cricket. We assess skills, train, mentor, identify areas of improvement and then provide for necessary feedback to the parents. This is exactly what makes us stand out as an institute that specializes in excellence not just Cricket.

It was a bright sunny morning at the institute when TBK ventured forth with his two sons, enrolled them for a new season. You must be getting to whats cooking. With TBK around a blog must be round the corner. So he goes around for a customary walk round the park, camera in hand, he has been granted that extra special privilege of walking around, talking to coaches, bowling a few balls, attempting a few knocks and loading a few customary bytes of information. There have been quite a few times when the author has had inspirational sessions with the Mentor-In-Chief Ashwin and the Chief's Chief Ravichandran Uncle as he is popularly referred to in local circles . Each of these sessions have been nothing short of inspirational. But more of that in another blog. Today TBK catches up with Sudarshan in a candid conversation about this season, lets now hear on:( By the way Sudarshan and TBK have forged a great partnership something on the lines of Vikram-Vedha. TBK asks the question, Sudarshan gets it right each time. Spoof TBK vanishes with the blog in hand) Well taking off from the last scene in the movie, guns pointing at each other they decide to spar with each other over a blog. Yenna Sudarshan Sir, Oru Kadai Sollava?(What Sudarshan Sir, Shall I tell you a story?

TBK(Aka Vedha): Hello Sudarshan(Aka Vikram), Can you elaborate more on the kind of packages being run this season. It would be highly beneficial for parents who wish to enrol their children for cricket coaching at Gennext Cricket Institute.

Sudarshan(Aka Vikram): Apart from the weekend coaching programs called Straight Drive that is being run for all age groups, we have specialized programs for Sub Juniors, Juniors and Seniors.

For the kids at the Sub Junior level- ages between 6-9 we have a program called Evolve, which runs on four week days in the morning. As the name suggests here we look at evolving the childs basics skills and the development of the game. Here we do not jump start the child into a red cherry or the cricket ball immediately but with passage of time as and when we feel that the child is ready to graduate to the next level.

Vision 20-20 is the next program in our basket. Here the age group that we are looking at is any child aged between 9-12. More than the age of the child here we also assess the child, depending on their current skill sets and their abilities we induct the child into this particular program.

High Performance: This is the last of our products but highly specialized in terms of training. The program runs on all five days of the week from Monday through Friday. Lot of inputs are being focussed into this program, Individual fitness levels are linked into, and reports are generated for each and every ward at the end of each month.

TBK (Aka Vedha): You have answered well Sudarshan(Aka Vikram), but there are more challenges ahead for you Viki boy. Can you please talk about any innovative ideas being implemented at Gen-next.

Sudarshan(Aka Vikram): We have started a new concept called open wicket sessions where the players are encouraged to play in the open without the nets. In the nets the shot may look beautiful in execution but you can never really gauge the power of the shot and the reach, but in a open wicket session the player gets to know his actual power hitting capabilities. Also the batsman gets to know the gaps in the field, whether he pierces the gaps in the field or clears them convincingly. Second  keeping in tune with Modern Day Cricket we have power hitting training sessions to cater to the increasingly popular T20 format. Lots more on the plate, we will keep rolling them out in the near future.

TBK: Impressive Suds boy.  Seeing the rise in popularity of the game in India specific to women, What are the plans to encourage more girls to take up the game of Cricket?

Sudarshan: At Gennext we have always believed that the game should be open to all irrespective of being a boy or a girl. In fact in the past we have had quite a few girls who have trained at our academy. One of our coaches is in fact a lady-Yuvashree who has represented Tamil Nadu in Cricket. Yes there are plans to get into specialized training for the girls as well much like our other programs. You will shortly hear from us in this regard.

TBK: The mentor of Gennext Ravichandran Ashwin has a packed schedule over the next few years. Does he have any thoughts on the path ahead for Gennext Cricket Institute:

Sudarshan: Never mind the next two years, its been always hectic for Ash ever since the inception days of Gennext. He is very much involved in the day to day running of the institute, constantly giving us his valuable inputs. Whenever he is in the city, he keeps visiting the institute and mentoring the kids. Not only that he interacts with all the coaches around, ensuring that they are abreast with the latest coaching methodologies and the equipments to be used. Ashwin has always been there with us when we need him and will be there with us in the future as well.We have expansion plans to be implemented including a few franchisee ideas that we are toying around with.

TBK: Brett Lee has stated in the media that India needs a pacer who can clock a 150mph delivery.  Any exciting pace bowling prospects in Gennext Cricket Institute

Sudarshan: Gennext High Performance Centre has quite a few promising quicks in the offing. We have Kaushik who builds up quite a pace. We are currently working on his bowling action so that he generates more pace. Then there is the 15 year old lad, promising fast bowler Prasanna who plays 4th division league in the city. We are hoping that Prasanna will be an exciting prospect in the next few years to come.

Well the lively conversation did come to an end. Vikram and Vedha decided to build truce, for the sake of a sequel, time being they walked over to the neighbor-hood shop for a generous helping of Elaneer water(Coconut Water). Entire state of Tamil Nadu seems to be reeling over an overdose of copious amount of Oviya tears(Wish we could do with Real Water not Reel Water. We pray for it to rain in Chennai) while Big Boss is away in Sri Lanka, on national duty making the Sri Lanka Batsman dance to his tune of spin music.






  

WHEN CRICKET BRINGS FOOD TO THE TABLE

One fine morning in April, after the Summer Slam coaching sessions had gotten underway, in walked into our ground a journalist from a leading national daily. What followed were interactions with our head coach Mr. Srinivasan and our COO, Mr. Sudarshan. Today, about three months later, the insights from the interactions have gone into a book titled Cricket Soru Poduma? authored by Bagawati Prasad, senior correspondent at The Times of India in Chennai. The book was launched on the evening of July 19 in Mylapore by a host of eminent cricket personalities.

Before we dwell into the specifics of the book launch event and the book itself, let us analyse, for a moment, the larger context of the game of cricket. Have you ever wondered what is it that makes a cricket match or a tournament successful? What goes behind the scenes to make the match a roaring success? Behind every cricket match is a whole gamut of activities executed by a team of people working in clockwork precision to deliver a world class experience at every level, be it a school level tournament organized by the state cricket association in a city ground or an Ashes Test match in a high-profile Melbourne Cricket Ground. The book profiles 22 such people who have been involved both directly and indirectly to deliver world class cricket experience at all levels.

The book officially launched
Photo courtesy : Srinivasan Venkatachalam

Back to the book launch event, it was graced by Mr. Dav Whatmore, present coach of the Kerala state team and former international coach, Mr. L. Sivaramakrishnan (popularly known as LS), commentator and former Indian cricketer, Mr. V.V Kumar, former India cricketer and Mr. Kasi Viswanathan, former secretary, Tamilnadu Cricket Association. Speaking first, Mr. Whatmore expressed his regret at not being able to read Tamil but he promised he would be the first to hit the stores if an English translated version comes out. Among others, LS narrated anecdotes about how video analysis helped India beat Australia in Australia in 2003-04, Mr. Kumar spoke on harnessing talent in the right manner and Mr. Viswanathan described the constant support the state association was rendering to the game. Finally the author, Mr. Prasad himself, described his experience of penning the book by drawing from his work experience of having interacted with a multitude of people from the world of cricket. Later our head coach was called up on stage, along with Mr. Ramki (cricket data analyst) to hand over a memento to LS.

From left : Mr. Ramki, Mr. Sivaramakrishnan and Mr. Srinivasan
Photo credit : Mahesh Ramesh

We in Gen-Next have every reason to cheer the book since it profiles our COO and our head coach in exclusive chapters. The former’s chapter profiles his journey from a software professional to cricket academy manager, about the power of using social media to promote oneself. The chapter on Srinivasan sir describes his journey from his early days in suburban Tambaram where he coached young kids until he moved on to take up full-time coaching responsibilities with GenNext. To make things sweeter, there is a chapter on Mr. V. Balaji, manager of our chief mentor Ashwin. But topping it all, the icing on the cake, is the book’s foreword, penned by none other than our chief mentor himself.

Photo courtesy : Bagawati Prasad

The event concluded with a photo-op of the personalities, profiled in the book, with the chief guests and the author. 

Standing : Mr. Srinivasan (third from right) and Mr. Sudarshan (partly hidden)
Photo courtesy : Srinivasan Venkatachalam

The title of the book translates into ‘Will cricket feed you?’ This is a common question asked by a majority of Indian parents when their sons aspire to become professional cricketers. The answer to this is a resounding YES ! Read the book to learn about more interesting personalities like video analyst, scorer, umpire, cobbler (yes, you read that right), throw-down specialist and lots more. Available in Amazon here. Happy Reading !

Happy BirthDay Ravichandran Uncle

Its been quite awhile since I tapped on my favourite keyboard, but thanks to Facebook, I was blessed with an opportunity to do what I like best, blogging. A match does beckon me to the screen. Today happens to be the final ODI-India Vs West Indies, however that does not distract me as much as the job at hand.

As I was glancing through the social media pages, I became aware that today happens to be Ravichandran Uncle's birthday. So my smart  device took over my senses as I quickly typed out a customary birthday wish on WhatsApp. Happy Birthday Sir. However I was not satisfied. I wanted to hear his voice today. There were two reasons for wanting to talk him, one to wish sir, the other was to get a few sound bytes from him to pen this blog.

So a call it was and the conversation went like this:

TallboyKarthik: Happy Birthday Sir....How are you doing?

Ravichandran Uncle: Thank you so much, where have you gone missing? (In that voice I could make out his genuine love for me and I am grateful for that loving concern, which is the case with anyone who knows him well, the same kind of loving regards for everyone)

TallBoyKarthik: Sir, work has kept me away from the ground and my sons school, daily routine, life has been quite hectic

Ravichandran Uncle: All that is fine but why are the kids not coming for practice?

TallBoyKarthik: Sir they go to school as early as 6 in the morning and I will have to find a way to get them to practice. I will be soon talking to Sudarshan about it.

Ravichandran Uncle: Oh Don't worry, we will figure out a way to coach them, just send them, and leave the rest to me to figure it out. By the way, How will they come?

TallBoyKarthik: Sir, They have cycles and since they are old enough, I guess I will ask them to cycle down .

Ravichandran Uncle: No don't do that, fix an auto, make a note of the auto drivers number and send them over. We will take care of everything and don't forget to inform Kumar about the auto. Kumar will also ensure that the kids are taken care of.

I was touched and most importantly was left wondering if such kind of love and affection happens anywhere else, I was for sure left short of words for the genuine concern he has for all the kids around. This is the same treatment meted out to each and every child at Gennext Cricket Institute.

So the conversation went on.

TallBoyKarthik: What is special for today Sir? Are you planning to go out somewhere.

Ravichandran Uncle: No Karthik, Today is just another day spent with my family and most importantly grandchildren. Today my granddaughter came running to me from her room singing the birthday song. I was so happy. I blessed her and gave her some money to buy whatever she wants.

TallBoyKarthik: Sir how would you spend your birthday when you were younger?

Ravichandran Uncle: It was just another day when I was young as well. I always go to a temple on this day. I just make up my mind on which temple to visit and then proceed. There was no concept of new clothes or anything like that. As the years rolled by things have changed. My wife would decorate the entire house on my birthday. Ashwin would give me some gift. Even Today morning Ashwin called me up from West Indies to wish me. Then in the evening, these kids always gather together, get a cake and then we have a small celebration. In their happiness lies my own happiness.

TallBoyKarthik: Then it must be a hectic day for you today?

Ravichandran Uncle: Yes it is. I love to see everyone happy. I called up Sudarshan today and asked him to take all the staff out for lunch at Saravana Bhavan. I have told you earlier as well. I take care of all my staff both at the institute and at my house. I don't like anyone going hungry. I personally ensure that everyone is well fed. That is how I spend my birthday. Till my parents were alive, I would fall at their feet and take their blessings.

TallBoyKarthik: As usual I loved having this conversation with you. Thank you sir and Wishing you a Very Happy Birthday once again.

Ravichandran Uncle: Thank You Karthik. Thanks for calling

Each time I have a conversation with Uncle I feel extremely light and then I am left with a valuable lesson of life: How much ever you grow in life, never ever forget your roots, never ever give up on being Humble. This is exactly what Ravichandran Uncle stands for.

Manna Royal Rumble

We at Gennext have always believed that Cricket is a very competitive game and to represent the game at the highest levels one must have the talent. We feel that to conduct any tournament, it must serve a certain purpose. For Example the ongoing Champions Trophy does serve a valid purpose. There are these top eight ranked countries in the world who compete against each other in a 50 over format to see who emerges as a Champion team amongst them. For us at Gen-next to conduct the Manna Royal Rumble in Chennai city we had set our aims high from day one.

Reason One: It is summer time and most of the children would be at home so we wanted the kids to be involved in some sort of a physical activity away from the comforts of their home and all the smart devices around them.

Reason Two: There are very few Under 14 Tournaments that are conducted in a prescribed 25 over format in the city of Chennai. We wanted to conduct this tournament at the various coaching institutes level. We found out to our own surprise that there is a lot of promising young talent in the City of Chennai who if exposed to the right kind of training have all the potential to break into the next level of competitive cricket.

Reason 3: At Gen-next we have always believed in the concept of "Joy Of Cricket" which really means that it really does not matter whether you win or you lose, the spirit of participation is most important. It is really not important whether you took five wickets as a bowler or scored a hundred as a batsman, it is most important to get happiness out of hitting the ground on a daily basis at six in the morning. This tournament was all about the "Joy of Cricket"

Our partners in this tournament Manna have truly endorsed our thoughts by way of being the title sponsors and have been very kind in giving away Manna Goodies at the end of each match to the Man of the Match. Children were given Health Drinks like Manna Badam Milk at each and every drinks interval, thus bringing the concept of good health into the tournament. We being the organisers of the tournament went on to ensure that no stone was left unturned to ensure the smooth conduct of the tournament.

Our aim as always has been to give happiness to the children in very unique and small ways. Thus the prize distribution of the Manna Royal Rumble was not at the RKM grounds where the tournament was conducted but by way of a glittering ceremony at one of the Star Hotels in the city of Chennai. We invited Indian Team International Player Lakshmipathy Balaji to distribute the prizes to the winners and the runners up. Our Founder Ravichandran Sir graced the occasion along with Mr V. Balaji. Deservedly FSCA were crowned the champions of the tournament while AVM were the runners up. They walked away with a few glittering trophies and medals under their belt.

The success of a tournament of this scale can never be complete without teamwork and we wish to thank all our colleagues who have made this tournament a grand success, including the efforts of the umpires who stood in all the matches without complaining a bit about the relentless heat and unforgiving hot weather conditions. Thanks due to our groundsmen who went about their task of keeping the pitches in match preparedness condition at all times. During the break after the prize distribution ceremony, someone walked to Ravichandran sir and thanked him for conducting this tournament. Sir said "Do not Thank me, Thank Sudarshan, Balaji and Shekar who have ensured that this tournament was conducted smoothly and with such perfection.

That about sums up the Manna Royal Rumble1.0. We are eagerly looking forward to Manna Royal Rumble 2.0 in 2018. If you would like to meet the Gennext team you are most welcome to visit the RKM grounds and it shall be our responsibility to hear you out.

"I wanted to be a master of my own destiny" Straight Drive With Sudarshan COO Gen-Next

As you walk into our institute you will invariably bump into a bespectacled, bearded young man. You can almost mistake him to be the boy next door. It's only when you get introduced to him do you realise he is the Chief Operations Officer (COO) of Gen-next Cricket Institute. It is indeed a great honour to be presenting to you, Ladies and Gentleman, Straight Drive with Sudarshan.
The game of cricket and it's addiction can lead people in many ways. It can shape destinies and chalk out glorious, chequered maps for the future. However, it's only meant for the brave-hearted and those who are willing to throw caution to the winds. Read on to find our COO talking us through his one year journey at Gen-Next.

TallBoyKarthik: Tell us something about yourself Sudarshan

Sudarshan: I am an Engineer by qualification. Graduated in 2012. Worked in IT for 3 years. Been with Gen-Next since May 2016.

TallboyKarthik: Engineering and Cricket! What's the connection?

Sudarshan: Well, cricket has always been my passion. I've loved watching the game since I was a kid. I still vividly remember the 1999 World Cup Semi Final between SA and Aus (which according to me is the greatest ODI of all time) that ended in a tie. Allan Donald getting run out, with Zulu stranded at the other end. The pure emotions at the end of the match: elation & jubilation for Australia; despair for South Africa, was mind-blowing! I could feel it myself. I was 8 then. I think my fascination for cricket became a passion exactly then.

TallBoyKarthik: How did you land up at Gen-next?

Sudarshan: Ok, here comes the story. It was Feb 2016. I had been to Germany to preside over a cricket tournament for which I was invited as a guest. That was exactly the time when I got in touch with Ashwin as well, impromptu. I explained to him about the tournament. He was excited about it and asked if I could do a similar tournament in Chennai. Concurrently, I was orchestrating an IPL Fantasy Auctions Game for my closely knit cricket group called 'Cricketism', in which Ash participated. He had a similar idea as well. You see where I'm getting? I think our wavelengths match and we struck an instant chord. So, when he offered me the Gen-next job, I didn't think twice. I lapped it up with both my hands.

Tallboykarthik: How easy or tough was it for you to decide to take the plunge?

Sudarshan: Lemme tell you, it was not easy. Here I was dropping the comforts of a nice job in an air-conditioned environment to a job that took me to a cricket ground & its functioning. Obviously, it meant getting up early in the morning, slogging it out in the ground, hot sun, but I was willing to give it a shot. There were other factors that played in my mind, like my own humble middle class family bearings & whether this was sustainable long-term. However, I hated the comfort of my sofa and thought it was high time I got the hell out of it. I wanted to go all-in & be the master of my own destiny. I wanted to succeed or fail on my own terms. It's been a year & it has been an extremely fruitful experience so far. I thank my parents for supporting my decision and backing me, when no one did. I am thankful to Ash for giving me this opportunity.

Tallboykarthik: It must have been a startup kind of scenario when you joined Gen-Next. Can you please take us through this one year journey of yours with Gen-Next?

Sudarshan: Would you believe it? I had never set foot  on to a Cricket Academy ever in my life before I joined Gen-Next. The first six months were extremely challenging. I tuned myself to the requirements of the job. It has been an on the job learning for me. I'd like to take this opportunity to thank my business mentor & my close friend, Srinath: Wharton graduate and a 2-time entrepreneur. An absolute champ and a top guy, he has been my go-to man in this journey. I'll always be grateful to him. From December, things started to look up. In Dec 2016, I engineered a #GenNextGlobalTour to Dubai for a 3-day cricket coaching clinic with Ashwin at the helm to resounding success. From Jan, I have been planning and scheming the summer event, which you know now as the highly successful #SummerSlam. I wanted the Summer Slam to be totally different right from the concept to the branding. I did not want it to be a run of the mill stuff. Today, when I look back upon what I set out to do and what I actually achieved, I am quite happy with the progress. Now, I'm organising the 16 team flagship U-14 tournament in the city, #RoyalRumble. It has been a hectic summer, but an enjoyable one at that.

Tallboykarthik: Obviously, Ashwin being the mentor of Gen-Next is an influencing factor. Can you talk to us about Ashwin as a person & as a mentor? Does he give you a free hand in the decision making process as far as Gen-Next is concerned?

Sudarshan: As far as being the #GenNextMentor, Ash is 200% hands on. He is totally committed. Whenever he is not representing the country, you can either find him with his family at home or with his extended family at Gen-Next. He loves mentoring the kids, knows everyone by name & keeps track of their performances. He is a true inspiration. As far as my work is concerned, he hasn't asked me to stick to the basics. Instead, he has given me the full freedom to go out there and express myself. He has encouraged me to walk & he has done so without holding my hand. It has been the biggest take-away/positive for me: the self learning process. It has given me the confidence to tackle any challenge that's in front of me. I love Ash for that.

TallboyKarthik: There are cricket academies mushrooming all over the city.
1) How does a parent select the right academy for their children 2) How is Gen-Next different from the rest?

Sudarshan: 1) Most of the parents today are tech savy and get to find the solutions that they need online. They go by word of mouth, they go by reviews online.
2) Gen-Next is different because of our operational efficiency. We have processes in place much like a corporate environment. For example, we have a review meeting every month with the coaches, where we review the past month's performances, identify the areas of improvement. We constantly strive for excellence in whatever we do and try to take the bar up a notch higher each time. We are never satisfied with what we do. We are extremely finicky when it comes time and discipline. As far as coaching is concerned, we have set programmes in place, collectively designed by our mentor, Ashwin & head coach, Srinivasan.  We are perhaps one of the few institutes that is extremely upbeat about social media. We have a huge following on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram & then we have our own blogs. I don't think any of the cricket academies have a social media presence as we do.

TallboyKarthik: When did Gen-Next start getting active on Social Media?

Sudarshan: After I joined, of course. Back when I joined, we didn't have an Instagram account or a twitter account. The Facebook page was inactive with 4000 likes. Today, Gen-Next has 20000 likes on Facebook, 5000 followers on Instagram and around 4000 followers on Twitter. Our blogs are growing rapidly as well. A year ago, not many people knew that Ashwin was our mentor. Over the last year, thanks to social media, I have made known globally Ash's involvement with Gen-Next and you see the desired results.

Tallboykarthik: What about expansion plans for Gen-next. Obviously home turf is Chennai but any plans for taking Gen-next to other places?

Sudarshan: In the last 6 months, we have taken rapid strides as far as Chennai is concerned. We do have some plans for expansion. Wait and watch.

Tallboykarthik: Any message for young cricketers and parents?

Sudarshan: We want the children to come, discover the joy of cricket. Our intention is to make the child to fall in love with the game. To quote an instance, we have a kid called Vikram in our High Performance program. His father has clearly told him to go and enjoy the game. All he wants for Vikram is to learn the sport, become a better human being: anything else is a by-product. These are the kind of parents who really excite us and enable us to give off our best. It was the same philosophy that our founder, Mr Ravichandran, had in his mind when he was parenting Ashwin. To make him play for the country was perhaps the last thing in his mind. To make Ashwin develop a joy for cricket was top most priority. Results of such an approach are there for everyone to see and learn from.

TallboyKarthik: Any memorable experiences that you would like to recall that involved you and Ashwin?

Sudarshan: I can't pinpoint an instance, cos I have had many: conversations about twitter, keeping nicknames, tracking scores of our U-14 boys, playing street cricket, etc. My own reading of Ashwin is that he is a very simple, down to earth person. He loves his movies, TV movies, still hangs out with the same set of friends, and is quite active on social media, has an outstanding sense of humour (sarcasm) and has the ability to pick up a conversation with anyone .

Tallboykarthik: This blog cannot really end without a word being spoken about the founder of the institute, Mr Ravichandran.

Sudarshan: We, at Gen-Next, know him as Ravi uncle. He is a cricket fanatic and has gone through the entire cycle of parenting Ashwin. He has seen the ups and downs of life. Back when Ashwin was growing up, he would take Ashwin to different coaching academies and matches all by himself. Having seen what a player goes through and the struggles he has had to face, uncle wanted to set up an academy where a player could be exposed to the best of coaching and infrastructure. It is only because of his foresight and thinking that Gen-Next has come into being today. As a person, uncle is very simple & comes daily morning to the ground, most of the times in the same old two wheeler on which he would take Ashwin for matches 15 years back. He is an inspiration and I totally love him.

Quite a long conversation but at the end of it you are left with quite a few pearls of learning:

• If you are indeed passionate about something, follow it, chase it as if your life depended on it and you will enjoy and do what you love.
• Sometimes in life, moving out of your comfort zone and doing something offbeat, despite the baggage of difficulties and challenges that come with it, can take you to success.
• Being simple and humble is indeed a true sign of success.

Hope you enjoyed reading our blog. Keep sending us your valuable feedback, for that is what keeps us coming back to you with more.

Super Straight Drive with Ravichandran Ashwin 2.0

There is nothing more pleasing to the eye than watching a sprinter running on a track. the smooth and easy steps, the slow and gradual start and finally that burst of speed. I have been a silent spectator as Ashwin has been gradually upping the ante on the fitness front, all in earnest preparedness for the forthcoming Champions Trophy to be conducted in England. Even as I watched him take those sprints it was all awe inspiring for me. We as fans see him play and take those wickets but hardly know the kind of hard work and effort that goes behind all of it. It also gave me an opportunity to be up front and close with Ravichandran Ashwin.

In last Friday's column of Straight Drive with Ashwin we spoke about his initial childhood days and how he developed a love for the game of Cricket. A time does come when children lose that flab, that chubbiness and the voice gets a makeover. Priorities, likes and dislikes change. A love-able maturity creeps in and in most of the cases new friends become a part of life. In this edition of Straight Drive

we shall talk about Ashwin's tryst with teenage and his circle of close friends.

Hunger for Cricket Just Grew on Ashwin:

As the years rolled by, Ashwin started to like the game even more than anything else. In one of the U17 tournaments in Vizag, Ashwin scored a century and the day came to a close. Well this story has two endings and we would like you to take up either one version of the story. Two people have narrated their versions to me, one is a version that Ashwin tells me and the other is a version that Arvind aka takali tells me. Ra Arvind also happens to be Ashwins childhood friend and a coach at Gen-next Cricket Institute.

Ashwins Version: Ashwin says that he completed a century, came back to the room, was very tired, however had a shower,changed his clothes and went to sleep. Anirudh Srikkanth happened to be his room mate. Ashwin says that he went on to compile a double century in this match.

Takkalis Version: Ashwin completed a century, came back to room, was very tired, hit the bed in the same pair of clothes, next day travelled to ground in the same whites and went on to complete a well compiled double century.

 Leave it to the audience at this point of time to pick up their own version and why they think so. One must however appreciate the passion for the game which is so very inspiring for kids of that age into a sport like Cricket.

The Four Musketeers

They were a group of four friends, travelling for tournaments together, involving themselves in pranks and most of all having a very normal childhood. Ashwin,Santosh,Arvind,and Kedar made up for a very formidable and strong circle of friends. Ashwin says that for most of the tournaments this group travelled together, either at the school or the college level. Once the team travelled for a tournament in Dharamshala, while the coach was quite excited with the serene atmosphere, he was quite sure that they would win the tournament. However the team ended losing the matches and travelled by road to different venues across the country. While the kids won, they were quite pampered for choice and when they lost they were made to sweat and toil. Valid lessons learnt at a very tender age, the carrot and stick policy worked well for the team, they won several tournaments together, losing only a few along the way.

Ashwin says that while all the kids were active in their naughty, active, fun and frolic ways, there was one in the group who was the most goody, goody and sober. that was Kedar. Kedar used to be an adventurous type. When they would check into a town or city for a tournament it would be Kedar to find out all about the place. He was also very fond of shopping so he would know what would be available in which place including some great food. Homework done, Kedar would inform the other four and they would be out exploring the city. Kedar was the Mr Nice of the group, never indulging in any kind of mischief. Thus he was nicknamed as the Jesus Christ of the group. Ashwin recalls them waiting on Kedar , one of the nights in the hotel room with lit candles on either side, just to welcome their Godly

friend.

In one of the state games, they had tied the match, Kedar was overcome with joy and started sprinting to the pavilion in joy to meet the coach. In his exuberance he had apparently forgotten that he had worn spikes. He ran on the concrete, full speed ahead with spikes on to the concrete, only to come crashing down, in the midst of the arranged chairs kept neatly under a Shamiana. All the friends had a hearty laugh together.

Ashwin and his University Days

Ashwin, Sanch, Venkat and Thakkali would travel together in their times during graduation. Ashwin says of the lot, Venkat was the smartest clocking over 85% each time in examinations. Sanch was good at numbers and Thaks was the weakest link amongst the four. While all of them would sincerely attempt to study for the exams burning the midnight oil in most cases, it was sanch who would want to sleep that wee bit extra, even on exam mornings. On a aside Ashwin adds that Sanch would be the one to set up the alarm clock, each time woken up, he would be the one to want to have that luxury of extra five minutes of sleep.  it happened that one of those days it happened to Mathematics time. They all prepared for the exam. Ashwin owned a Santro those days, while he picked up his friends for the examination.

All of them finished the exams much ahead of the stipulated time except for Arvind. They were quite taken aback that Arvind was taking so much time. There was more in store. While discussing the tough question paper it was Arvind who came up with all the correct answers. The fun does not stop here. On the day of the results, Sanch called up Ashwin "Machi marks aa paatiya da"(Did you see the Marks?). Ashwin replied saying that he had cleared the paper. Sanch stressed again"Adhu illai da Thakaali Maths marks paatiya da?" (Did you see Thakaalis Maths marks?) The Three had crossed the requisite line while Arvind was left behind. It was even quite puzzling for tallboyk, who then ventured to interrogate further. "Ashwin how did this happen?Arvind got all the answers right, thats what you just said." Ashwin with that tangy mischevous, quirky look on his face said " Oh Thaks finished the exam much earlier, went back to his place of dwelling, had a mid afternoon siesta, consulted Mr. Mcgraw Hill for all the right answers and had come collars up to discuss the answers with his friends.

Ashwin feels that Arvind,Sanch,and Kedar were as equally talented as him in modern cricket, despite this it was only he who donned the India colors. He laments this fact as he says with the other musketeers around the India dressing room would have gotten even more lively.

For me it was a pleasure bring to you all this column of Straight Drive. It was fun for Ashwin recalling his own childhood days, for a boy who dreamt making it big in Indian Cricket Team, who morphed himself into a young man, who the rest of the world knows as Ravichandran Ashwin. There will be more such columns in the near future. Keep reading and leaving your valuable feedback as that would encourage us to keep writing to you.