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.

Straight Drive with Ravichandran Sir

The moment you enter our institute grounds, of course you will be greeted by a lush green outfield and a good splattering of kids enjoying the game of cricket. More than anything else you will be greeted by smiling young coaches, one amongst them , yours truly. You will into most occasions bump into an elderly, young simple Gentleman, Ravichandran who also happens to be the founder of our institute and Ashwins father.

My encounter with him was dramatic no less. I was walking away from the institute when I found Ravichandran sir seated on one of the steps, when he enquired about me. I introduced myself. Sudarshan our COO was close by and added a few words. My stupid ignorance gave way at this point of time and I had the gall to know who he was. Sir said the following words. "I am Ravichandran, the founder of this institute" I only felt like kicking myself but also was taken aback by his simplicity. From that time I have always wanted to write a piece on Ravichandran sir and I am very happy that this column of "Straight Drive" will be used for the very purpose. At first when i broached him with the idea about the blog, he said that he would tell me about a fathers side of the story, and then it took a few weeks to get there but in between we have had a few sittings where i could really understand why Ashwin reached where he is currently, only because of a uncompromising parental system that worked wonders in the backend.

For us fans it is always about the Idiot box in front of us, cheering our hero as he takes a couple of hundred wickets but hardly are we aware about the making of our hero and his days of struggle, the pains that the family has gone through and the sacrifice that they have had to make. Ravichandran Sir took me through glimpses of his past and his role in all of it. Not many of us would know that Sir is himself is a foodie and food for him has to be sumptuous. He cannot compromise any shortcomings as far as taste is concerned. Indeed we can call him a perfectionist. He tells me "Karthik come over and I will make you the best possible Masala Dosa." He cannot tolerate to see a person go hungry. Whenever he sees a person in hunger he feeds them with food. Noble Quality of the highest order.

Sir is very concerned that just as parents need to take care of children, the role sort of reverses when the parents grow older. It is the turn of the children to take care of the parents. It pains him no less when it comes to his ears of children abandoning their parents.

We spoke at length about Ashwin and here is where Sir let out his emotions. He told me about how he would tutor Ashwin and help him with his lessons. At a stage when cricket became a important priority in Ashwins life, he would have to miss classes. Sir would go to the class take the note books from other children, have them xeroxed and bring them home for Ashwin to study. Sir would himself study the entire chapter, mark out important sections in the lesson so that Ashwin could focus on the same. Later on in the night when the entire world would be lured into slumber, Sir would ask questions from the lesson, the dutiful son would answer the question correctly. Sir stresses that Ashwin has always cooperated as far as academics is concerned and was always studious as a child.

When it came to Cricket Sir would drop and pick up Ashwin from the ground after the match. In fact he comes to our institute sometimes on the same bike that he would use to drop Ashwin. He continues to maintain the same bike till date. These were the days of struggle. There were occasions when Ashwin would be overlooked despite his talent, and the hard decision would have to be conveyed to him by sir. The youngster was quite mature beyond his years and would quite nonchalantly say "Appa, No problem, lets go home".There were times when people around the family would cast aspertions around how Cricket could make a career, today the same people shower the family with praises. An Emotional Ravichandran Sir told me how life has come a full circle for the entire family. I could myself feel a lump in my throat when he was sharing his experiences.

There is always a word of advice about the finer nuances of the game when a cricketer approaches him for his advice. For those of you who dont know, Sir was a fine medium pacer in his heydays. He has always advocated that academics is as important as Cricket and that both should compliment each other. Sir also stresses on the importance of Parents supporting the child by encouraging the talent in him or her. He also adds that when you send your children for cricket practice or for matches, do sit and watch them play. When the child is at the center, he does crave for attention, he looks up at the galleries to see if someone is watching him, at that moment a gentle wave of the hand works wonders.

Of course our philosophy is about "Creating Tomorrows Cricketing Superstars" but the unsaid silent philosophy that is always at the back of our mind is to create a better human being, which was the intention of our founder Ravichandran sir when he was parenting Ashwin, and that is the exact image that keeps coming to TallboyKarthiks mind each time he meets Ashwin, a genuinely great human being. Hats off to Mrs and Mr Ravichandran for giving to us Ravichandran Ashwin.....

Super Straight Drive with Ravichandran Ashwin-1.0

Childhood days can seldom be forgotten. Every Adult would want to be a child once again. Those were the days of undiluted fun. Carefree life without any worries. I for one keep reminding my children, Have fun for these days will never ever come back to you. However what you can actually do is to sit back one day and recall those wonderful memories, with all your childhood friends right behind you.

This is exactly what we did at Gen-next, decided to prod none other that our own Ravichandran Ashwin about his childhood memories. There were two things that were happening simultaneously, one of Ashwin going back on flash back mode and recalling his own childhood days. On the other side, seated right beside him was a dreamer-tallboyk who had all the way from way back in 2010 had dreamt of meeting up with Ash some day. So Pinch Pinch, day had finally arrived. This edition of Super Straight Drive is all about Ashwin recalling with a great amount of fondness, mirth and humor, his Childhood Days.

TallBoyKarthik: Ashwin, lets begin this conversation with you recalling your childhood days and how you developed a love for the game of Cricket:

Ashwin: Appa was a great Cricket Fanatic . Coming from a traditional South Indian family those days, it was but natural that my grandfather did not encourage my father to take up the sport seriously. As a child I would go to watch Appa play and he was a good medium pace bowler. For the first four or five years of my childhood, I did not quite like the game and found it to be quite monotonous. But slowly I started developing a love for the game. I would love to play on our house terrace and on the road outside my home. Appa would throw the ball and I would hit the ball with my bat. Come Match time both of us would remain glued to the Television. I would always remain stuck to my father and people would often call me his Kangaroo.

My mother was always encouraging of my urge to take up the game more seriously. While my grandfather was worried about the glasses breaking, the garden getting spoilt, or the terrace walls getting damaged, it was my mother who insisted that I joined a Cricket Coaching Institute. It was then that I joined the TSR Cricket Academy at YMCA. I remember very clearly that both my parents would come to drop me at the academy and pick me up again once the practice would get over. So that's how the journey started.

TallBoyKarthik: Ravichandran sir has told me once that none of the walls at home would be spared. All of them would bear an artistic impression of your hitting the balls against the wall.

Ashwin: Please note that I was a single child. I was a loner and have loved it that way, even now that I am married I like to spend time on my own. I was mad about Cricket and so I would throw the ball at the walls and hit it with my bat. I would also give a commentary of the actual happenings. I would imagine myself being a part of the Indian team, and then being involved in making India win. I liked being an underdog in that age. When I was a child India would often lose, hardly win matches. That is also the reason why I dont quite like it when people point fingers at the current Indian team. We actually win more matches than we lose. The only heartbeat for the entire nation at that point of time was Sachin Tendulkar. I would watch Sachin play with butterflies in my stomach, praying that he should not get out. On weekends when both my parents would be at home, I would once again be lapped into the world of imagination, hitting the ball against the wall and striking it with my bat. In my world of fantasy I would imagine India at 200 for 8 and then take them through to 500 for 8, scoring a masterful century along with a running commentary of the proceedings. My father would call me mad but that's how I developed a passion for the game.

We used to have rope balls at home(These are actual cricket balls hung from ceiling and then you strike them with your bat just to get the sense of timing right). The other day when a child got hurt above his eyebrow I got reminded of an incident from my own childhood days. I was a twelve year old boy at that point. There was a league match that I was to play on that day, and before the match I was practicing a few shots using the rope ball. I recall that those days there was no limit that barred children of that age from playing league cricket. I am of the opinion that nine and ten year olds should be allowed to play the local league. It is affecting the physical tenacity of the kids. Anyways, back to the rope ball game, that I was practicing. There used to be a blue color Godrej Fridge in one corner of the room, which was severely dented on account of my constant hammering. I played what I thought was a rousing pull shot, and bang the ball went and hit my father on the forehead. He was bleeding quite badly and I was inconsolable. We went to the Public Health Center, just across the road from my house, stitches done, both of us were off to the ground, my father to drop me and myself to play the match. I remember scoring a fifty in that match. My tenacity comes from my mother, my truthfulness, honesty and straightforwardness comes from my father.

TallboyKarthik: Well quite an exciting childhood, anyways reminds me of my own and so should it yours our dear readers. Learnings quite a few to be picked up from this blog.

Allow a child to be a dreamer, its those dreams that he builds upon.

Show the child the way, encourage him, provide for the best possible guidance, be his friend and support system and then watch him flower.

When a child takes up a sport like cricket, take him to those training sessions and be with him, watch him play and derive happiness from just seeing him play the game.

Personally a dream come true for tallboyk to be representing Gen-next Cricket institute as their Official Blogger. Moments to cherish, sitting next to a legend, hearing him recall his childhood memories. A Sweet gets only sweeter when it is consumed in parts, and so there will be more sweet memories to share in the next episode of Super Straight Drive with Ravichandran Ashwin. Till then its goodbye from all of us. Have an enjoyable,lovely pleasant weekend. God Speed.

Straight Drive with Balaji

When we started to pick up the threads of this blog we never really thought that we would be left with many valuable lessons of life. But the blog has left us a lot wiser and when such kind of pleasant situations arise we at Gen-next feel it is our responsibility to share the experiences with all of our dear Readers. In this feature of Straight Drive we are proud to present a very candid and up-front conversation with former cricket writer V. Balaji who also happens to be R. Ashwin's Manager now.

On Balaji's Childhood Days and his fondness for Cricket

Balaji's association with the game of Cricket started when he was very young.

As most Indian kids, he picked bat and ball and started playing at the age of six. He has represented Vidya Mandir at the school level. Balaji moved to Ebenezer Marcus for completing his plus two education. It was at this stage that he started understanding his own game better. Balaji has played league cricket (2nd division). At a critical juncture in his playing career two knee injuries crushed his dreams of playing the game at a professional level, any further. But his love for the game continued unabated to such an extent that him not being able to play the game any more left him with strong withdrawal symptoms. It was tough for him not tot think about the game. In the pre-internet era, Balaji would wake up at five in the morning to read The Hindu. He would keep himself abreast with the latest in the world of cricket including statistics with neatly cut newspaper clippings. In a frenzied moment the teenager in him gave way to emotions and he tore up the carefully collected paper scores of his in the Hindu and Indian Express. Not that he considered himself to be a great cricketer but the very thought that he could not play cricket affected him emotionally. Cricket was and is very dear to him. Balaji was just Nineteen years old at that time, an age where emotion rules over maturity, Balaji was shattered to come around the fact that his tryst with a game that he so much loved had ended (as a player). That he could no longer compete was a bit of a dampener.

Now what is about to follow is in our opinion a huge lesson. When you love something very passionately it will come back to you in a different form. All it requires is patience and persistence to keep following your passion and not give up at any stage. 

A lettered and Passionate Professional Career

Balaji joined Amex in 1997. He in his own words says that he was at a crossroads in life where the road left took him to a three-year contract with Amex. He was on his bike at Gemini circle, almost taking the road towards Amex, out of the blue there was a call from a HR consultant who asked him if he would be interested to join Clickcricket.com as a Content Consultant. It was the beginning of the Internet boom plus the job took him back to the game that he loved so much. So it was goodbye to Uncle Sam and back to bat and ball (albeit in a different form). His life changed over the next four years. He was very happy that he took the straight road.  Some very pulsating data points here. As a part of his job he is credited to digitizing Cricket Australia's Coaching manual in India. Wow that is indeed some amount of content. He has written around 30000 questions for cricinfo. He has been involved as a web commentator for more than 100 international matches for sify, Rediff, Airtel and Wisden combined. Balaji has worked for other web publications as well. Dial 646 those days and you would hear Balaji regaling his audience with cricket commentary. By mid 2003 he got into print journalism and till 2013 travelled the world writing cricket for the Deccan Chronicle/Asian Age as their sports Editor. He quit full time journalism in 2014, last writing for Wisden India. 

A Cricket match Balaji fondly recalls and the Game he loved earned him friends for life

A match he remembers is the India Pakistan match at Chepauk where the Pakistan team was accorded a warm lap of honour by the Cricket loving Chennai audience. In His Capacity as the Sports editor for Deccan Chronicle Balaji has covered 30 Test matches. He has made some great friends in the field of journalism like Ram Mahesh, Anand Vasu, KC Vijay Kumar and R. Kaushik to name a few. He also built a great rapport with cricketers like Laxman, Rahul Dravid, Gautam Gambhir, Zaheer Khan and Anil Kumble. , Incidentally Balaji also saw the latest format grow into a massive brand, reporting the first five IPL finals.

Balaji's views on Coaching

He says in his own humble way that he is not qualified enough to talk about coaching. As a part of the Gen-Next Global tour to Dubai he took up the role of a coach. Balaji was forced to travel as the regular coach had to miss out due to personal reasons. Ashwin felt that Balaji could be an excellent coach and requested him to take up the mantel. Balaji feels that he has a decent basic understanding of the game. In one of the conversations that Balaji had with Rahul Dravid, the legend had expressed his opinion that one of the reasons for us not producing quality spinners is because of the fact that they are getting over-coached. The responsibility of the coach should be to assist the ward under him, with the knowledge of the game, sharpen his skills and then take a backseat.

Balajis Association with Ashwin

When Balaji first saw Ashwin he was 16-17 years old playing 1st division league for Spic. The first time that Balaji met Ashwin he knew that there was something that is special about this 16 year old who was losing his last few embers of chubbiness. He stood out more as a person than a cricketer. It was a little later that that Ashwin made his Ranji debut, Balaji would notice that here is a young cricketer who would never really get satisfied with the what he had achieved. Ashwin always wanted to stretch that little extra, to go a notch higher. This is indeed a quality that is the thing line differentiating between being very good and being world class. Balaji always knew that Ashwin was a class apart. Discussions would go on sometimes till 2 AM in the morning outside Balaji's house. What Balaji saw in Ashwin was an undiluted passion for the game. When Ashwin says he loves the game, he means every word of it. Balaji is quite strong in his opinion when he says that if a situation arises that there is no money tomorrow in the game of cricket, Ashwin would still be vying to play tennis ball cricket. Such is his passion for the game.

Fond memories and Incidents involving Ashwin

This goes back to the touring days of Ashwin as a Cricketer and Balaji as a cricket reporter. On one of the tours to Sri Lanka, Balaji was totally dependent on Ashwin for good vegetarian food. In Dambula, Ashwin will call Balaji whenever there was some good old kichidi or Maggi. Balaji says that Ashwin would go out of his way to take care of him. Both of them would converse a lot. In one of those conversations Balaji complained a little about other players. Ashwin in a jocular fashion would nudge his Balaji anna not to complain about the players since he might end up leading the same players one day in the near future. This incident remains etched in Balajis memory and so for us it remains a very big lesson. A true leader needs to be unbiased on his opinion about his people or team. He cannot be seen as being influenced by others thoughts and opinions. Thank you Balaji sir for sharing this incident with us so candid in your thoughts. Even in His early days into the Indian Cricket team Ashwin was very concerned about the facilities being provided to the cricketers, about the development of the game, coaching and other aspects of the game. Balaji would often wonder why Ashwin at such a tender age would think so deeply but then that's how leaders are made. We have just picked up another pearl. A leader not withstanding his age or experience has foresight and vision much more than his age. Always pay heed to such leaders and follow them.

Balaji's advice for Parents

As you enjoyed marbles, tops and kites in your childhood allow your child to play with marbles, tops and kites and let him enjoy his cricket the same way. It really does not matter if does not make it to the under-16 state team. It does not matter if he does not get an IPL contract. Balaji says that the day (if) his son decides to pick up the bat or for that matter any sport, it is his responsibility to see that the child gets best of sporting equipment and the very best of academies to train in. A parent should never be seen as trying to influence the coach or the selectors. Allow the kid to enjoy, express himself. As a parent your must be happy that your kid gave their full effort.

About the Coaching Methodologies being adopted at Gen-next

Balaji feels that the methodologies being adopted by Gen-next are refreshing. He feels that coaches here bring in innovation that is sadly missing in most of today's coaching institutes. He also feels that the modern game of cricket has taken rapid strides in terms of development. There is more stress that is being laid on the physical fitness of a player. Gen-next addresses this need as well. Balaji feels that addressing core issues that are specific to present day demands are vital for a coaching institute like Gen-next. Therefore when the charter for the institute was being drawn out, the founding principle of Gen-next would be that we are not here to just produce good cricketers but also good human beings. 

Straight Drive with Braveheart Rakshita

The moment you meet up with this girl, one thing that hits you on your face is her infectious smile and bubbly enthusiasm. She has seen the ups and downs of life, yet is willing to battle it out. Meet up with our braveheart Rakshita- first woman cricketer of Gen-next Cricket Institute in this weeks column of Straight Drive.

Hi Rakshita, and welcome to Gen-next and our weekly blog Straight Drive. For our readers Rakshita is a native of Mangalore and an aspiring Wicket-keeper batswoman. Her dream currently is to don the Indian Blues. For that to happen she needs to cross the first hurdle which is the selection into the Women's Karnataka State Team.

On Her Love for the Game of Cricket:

Well there is a very interesting story here. She fell in love with Cricket because of MS Dhoni. She like a child professes her love for MSD. The first time she saw MSD on TV, during the epic innings at Vizag versus Pakistan, that sort of spurred her on and she was head over heels in love with MSD, to such an extent that she has a tatoo inscribed on her hand with the initials MSD. 

Life had to move on, MSD got married and our braveheart could not take it at all, She was down with Fever for 15 days. Her love for the game continues unabated and of course she continues to be a die hard MSD fan. She has been an RJ with 92.7 Big FM in Mangalore and it was during this stint that she got to interview MSD. She quizzed him about his epic movie and next day she resigned from the job, perhaps having realized her dream. Rakshita has one more act up her sleeve, she plans to have one more tatoo on her arm this time around it will be the face of her hero MSD. MSD has left a message for her saying that he would like to see the Tatoo first before it goes viral on social media.

How did she reach Gen-next:

One night she had a dream that she was training with Ashwin. At this point of time, she never knew anything about Gen-next.While browsing through Ashwin's profile on Instagram, Rakshita came across Gen-next, rest is history and her dream being realized. Today she even got to meet her favorite bowler in flesh and blood. 

Rakshita a Braveheart:

Definitely she is a braveheart. She could well be a role model for all women wanting to take up a sport. In a game that is dominated by her male counterparts, she has no qualms of playing it straight. She has had a tough going, not being encouraged by near and dear ones, a knee injury to cope up with, the rehab program to get her back to shape, and then a Karnataka state selection coming up in the month of September, nothing bothers her, sight is on her goal and she is ready to lock horns with a steely resolve.

Her Coaching stint at Gen-next:

She is full of praise for the Coaching being imparted here. She feels that here at Gen-next care is taken to ensure that each cricketer gets individual attention and that makes a huge difference. She has coached under Coach Srinivasan, Coach Arvind and Coach Santosh. Thanks Rakshita for your kind words, much valued.

By the way we have a multi talented personality out here, Rakshita is a RJ and a movie star as well. She has acted in two Kannada movies. Wow!!! Way to Go!!! Rakshita. She considers Kannada Super Star Sudeep as her mentor who has encouraged her to play the game of cricket, come what may.

Her Dream and Her Advice to Fellow Women Cricketers

She wants to don the Indian colours, Mithali Raj happens to be her favorite Indian Cricketer. She signs off by saying that Women in India make a lot of personal sacrifices at the cost of a professional career. She says that Women should definitely dare to dream and realize those dreams by overcoming all the challenges that come their way. They should at any cost not give up.

On behalf of Gen-next  we wish you well, and hope that your dreams come true,and we shall strive to keep maintaining the high standards of coaching that we are known for.