Cricketer from Singapore hero of a village in TN

CHENNAI: Indian cricketer Sanju Samson was arguably the most popular sportsperson in Tamil Nadu in the last few days but at Keelkudi village in Tiruvadanai taluk, Ramanathapuram, the talk of the town was a cricketer from Singapore.

Ramesh Kalimuthu (36), son of the soil, went to Singapore 14 years ago after a stand-off with his father who had admonished him for pursuing his cricketing ambitions while in college. Ramesh went there as a construction worker with no clue of what destiny had in store for him.

Though he debuted for the Singapore national team in 2022 and has represented the island nation in 15 T20 Internationals (T20I), a recent photograph of him meeting Chief Minister MK Stalin at the Secretariat early this month made him talking point in every household in the village.

Ramesh’s father, Kalimuthu, who once came to blows with his wife for encouraging their son’s cricketing dreams instead of asking him to contribute to the family, is a proud man. And the source of that is his son. It shows every time villagers enquire if his son is home and wanting to meet him after seeing his photograph with the CM.

Support from family

“I joined college so that I can make it to the university cricket team and pursue opportunities from there. My biggest support was, of course, my mother, but my father was unhappy. During an argument with my mother, things escalated badly between them. I did not wish to stay here (in Tamil Nadu) after that. So, I discontinued college and went to Singapore in 2011 as a migrant worker,” recalled Ramesh.

Between 2011 and 2017 though, cricket was the last thing on Ramesh’s mind. “When you are a blue-collar worker in a foreign nation, uncertainty over your job and the subsequent fear are palpable, he reflected. “There is no time or mental space to think about passion or recreation.”

However, Ramesh learnt about the thriving cricket culture in Singapore, mostly involving players from the Indian sub-continent. So, he volunteered and made a name for himself pretty quickly as a bowling all-rounder. He soon started representing the premier club teams there, which helped his ascent into the national team.

In 2017, Ramesh also started his own club team, Tamil Thalaivas. “The one person whom I would be grateful for in my entire life is my elder brother. When you’re an employee in a company, it is difficult to allot time for cricket practice. He believed in my potential and invested several lakhs to start a small company in Singapore in my name so that I can focus on cricket.”

His elder brother, Meenatchi Sundharam (44), who left home to work as a mason in an Arab nation, invested a majority of his savings to help his brother’s cricket career. “As a family, we had nothing. Our parents are farmers. Both my brother and I pooled our savings to start the company in Singapore. My brother had the potential and made our family proud,” he smiled.

No personal grudges

When Ramesh won the Man of the Match award for his five-wicket haul in a T20I match against Kuwait and dedicated it to his mother, Mookayi, she bawled and exclaimed, “Even if I die at this moment, I will be peaceful and happy.”

As soon as Mookayi got her emotions in check, she turned to her equally happy husband and asked him, “Why did you not support our son when he was us, and instead, forced him to move so far away?”

Ramesh, however, holds no grudge against his father. “My dad had told my mother that he was thinking like a father that day and could not think about my freedom,” he explained. “Our family situation was that we used to buy new clothes for Deepavali only once in two years. Even that would be khaki trousers and white shirt so that you can also use them for school. Now, our lifestyle has changed for the better.”

As a father to two children, Ramesh can relate to his father. “Now, I know why he was upset. We do not want our children to get hurt. I’m happy to have made my parents proud,” he said.

His wife, Brindha Devi, too is supportive of his sport. From knowing zilch about it, she now analyses the sport and talks about the technical aspects and nuances.

TNPL dreams

Ramesh who bowls with a sling action (Sri Lanka’s Malinga with a shorter run-up and lesser pace) is also a powerful hitter and is now pinning his hopes on Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL) and eventually to the IPL.

Last year, he spent over two months in India trying to get into a TNPL team, but was unsuccessful. He cites the example of Pravin Tambe, who at the age of 41, became the oldest debutant in the Indian Premier League.

“I’ve played under five different coaches in Singapore. I learnt from the management that they all gave the same feedback about me – Kaali (Ramesh) gives 200% for the nation in every match. I have a few more years of cricket left in me and I’d like to try it out in my home state. I want to do it for my mother,” Ramesh said.

When Ramesh visits his village for holidays, young parents come with their children to seek his advice. “When I grew up, I didn't even know about a cricket academy. In the future, I also have plans to start a cricket academy in my village,” he said.

Ramesh got the opportunity to meet the CM through a well-wisher. His photograph with the CM hangs on the wall of his house in the village. “I do not come from privilege. Cricket gave me this opportunity and I am thankful for that,” he stated.

His brother recalled how Ramesh’s friends installed banners and cut-outs throughout the village when he made the cut for the Singapore national team. “We would outdo it when he gets selected for TNPL,” he said.