From broken windows to big runs: Athish’s rise in TN cricket

CHENNAI: Three years ago, at 19, Athish SR was nowhere close to the Tamil Nadu setup. With just 182 runs in seven games for Mylapore Recreation Club A, the left-hander was at a genuine crossroads, with doubts over whether talent would ever translate into performances. 

“It was a really low phase,” Athish opens up about that phase just before the clash between Tamil Nadu U23 and Rest of India U23 here at Chepauk.

“But that struggle brought a major realisation: instead of being result-oriented, I needed to focus on skill development, adapting to match situations, and figuring out what it takes to win.”

As it turned out, life offered him a second chance – a tough one, albeit. On a slow-burning surface, he was tasked with cutting out the experienced Jalaj Saxena’s threat. With not many runs behind him, the left-hander was at the AM Jain College ground with a simple game plan: ‘If I got out defending or edged to slip, I was fine with that, but not any other way’

It was that plan which reinvigorated his career and turned it around, as the left-hander scored 196 for Jupiter CC, allowing them to secure a dominant first-innings lead.

Almost two years later, he was training ahead of the clash against Rest of India U23 in the adjoining nets next to the exit at Chepauk, as one of the more senior campaigners. The 22-year-old represented Tamil Nadu in four Ranji Trophy fixtures, and even showed his red-ball prowess with scores of 50 & 88 against Odisha on a tacky surface. 

“I look at those challenges (of tough conditions) not as a burden, but as something fun. When you treat it as fun and enjoy the battle, it doesn’t add heavy pressure. You can just express yourself with a free mind and play,” a much more relaxed Athish now says. 

On Friday, the left-hander showed how far that transformation has taken him, with a stroke-filled century – one that had his DNA imprinted all over – with 15 fours and two sixes when he raced away to his ton off 137 balls. His 203-ball 137 now puts him in good stead ahead of the Ranji Trophy opener against Rajasthan on October 11. 

"I feel today — or rather, the way I look at it — this game is only 20% tactical and technical. When it comes to red-ball cricket or a Test match, I think it is more about the mind. In that aspect, I think I was pretty good in this match, so I was able to reach the milestone."

The century also was a fair reflection of his evolution, as the left-hander showed great control throughout his stay, combining it with phases of aggression against left-arm spinners, Emanjot Singh Chahal and Varun Singh Bhuie. 

“My personal ambition is to play all three formats. But adapting quickly is a huge demand in modern-day cricket, and I’m training for that — both mentally and skill-wise,” he says.

The youngster didn’t spare Nikhil Giri either, as a large chunk of his runs (37) came against the right-arm pacer, where he occasionally stepped down the track to throw him off-guard, something he learnt from sharing partnerships with Narayan Jagadeesan at the senior setup. 

Behind the success, though, are rigorous training sessions, some in the gruelling heat here in Chennai, where even the sessions are quite aggressive. It started during Yo Mahesh’s tenure as the coach of the U23 setup, with the pacer now spearheading the senior setup. 

“Every practice session feels like a real battle. He (Yo Mahesh) recreates scenarios that are as close to match situations as possible. So, there’s no difference between practice and a match. When you step into a game, it feels much easier. You don't feel surprised by the pressure; you realise you've already handled it in practice, and you can correct any mistakes you made earlier,” he adds. 

Not just that, the youngster also revealed how his new habit of ‘journalling’ has helped him immensely. The left-hander revealed that even his century in the final was something that he had visualised. 

"I started doing it only recently. That’s why I said that beyond skill, the mind plays a massive role in this game. I think I'm seeing the results of that in this match. For the past three months, I’ve been writing affirmations, visualising, and focusing on meditation. I’ve been doing a lot of that, which helped me in this game."

However, what makes Athish’s cricketing tale stand out is the sense of relatability. Having started cricket at four, the left-hander still remembers breaking the opposite house’s ‘window panes’. In a lot of cases, it would have easily deterred his parents from giving him the bat, but in this case, the broken window kicked off his career.

“I think that incident motivated my dad to put me into an academy, thinking, ‘Okay, he might do something in this.’ My dad was also very passionate about cricket. From there, I played academy and school cricket, and my first state game was for the Under-16s in my second year,” he says with a grin on his face.

Three years ago, Athish was still trying to convince himself that he belonged at this level. Now, with a Ranji Trophy spot up for grabs, he is making sure that the selectors have little choice but to back him in his current form. 

Fittingly, it goes back to the broken windows, when he was just a young boy trying to pick the game, smashing windows. Now, he’s 22, and smashing runs for fun.