How a brotherly figure inspired Karthi Selvam to pursue hockey and charted his comeback to the national team
As India begin a four-match series in Australia from Friday, Karthi finds himself back in the mix. He has been named in the squad to tour Down Under in a series of matches that is likely to determine India's Asia Cup squad, a tournament later this month in Rajgir, Bihar, that doubles up as a World Cup qualifier too. As much as Karthi is excited to be back in the mix, so is Ranjith, the man who kickstarted it all.
Karthi, son of Selvam, who works as security at Ariyalur's government college, started by dabbling with basketball and football at a ground close to his home. 'One day I saw Ranjith anna play hockey, and that's how my interest began in the sport. Whenever I have been down and facing struggles, I have had a lot of people help me. Shekar Manoharan (TN hockey), my coaches… but the one who has helped me the most is Ranjith Anna. He inspired me to take up the sport, and now he is a fan of mine,' Karthi tells The Indian Express. 'He has helped me a lot. I have asked him for shoes for example. He is the first man I'd call even now if I need anything.'
Ranjith, 35, is now an IT professional at HCL Tech in Chennai. 'He was among a bunch of kids who used to come up to us and talk about hockey when we took water breaks,' Ranjith tells this daily. 'But it wasn't much later, it struck me. One day, when we were watching a match at the YMCA in Chennai, Karthi (then in Class VIII) stood next to me and asked, 'Anna you remember me?' I started playing because of you.' From there, to watch him play for India, and for him to say his journey started because of me, I feel like I have achieved something with my life.'
Ranjith comes from a hockey family. He has played at the national level, his father played for Indian Overseas Bank and his uncle played the sport too. Since hockey was not seen as a career option at a point in his life when he had to make a call, Ranjith ended up getting convinced to pursue engineering. 'I had the passion for hockey, still do, but I couldn't turn it into a career. One day recently, he sent me a message, 'ungala la daan velayaduren. (I'm playing for you, bro.) I feel on top of the world,' Ranjith adds, sharing a screenshot that he has saved on his phone.
Karthi, who idolises Harmanpreet Singh, also had a good stint with Tamil Nadu Dragons in the Hockey India League, where he found another mentor, an Aussie star who knows a thing or two about scoring goals, especially against India. 'I got to work closely with Blake Govers. He was impressed with my shooting skills, and that is a strength too, so he taught me about improving my grip on the stick and the impact point of striking the ball when it is on a downward trajectory.' Karthi's comeback to the senior team has been driven by a focus on fitness and working off the ball, two areas that India coach Craig Fulton told him to improve. He had gained some weight once he went out of the team after the Asian Champions Trophy. Then Karthi went about working with dedicated training sessions at SAI Bengaluru.
'When we go on long drives to Chennai, we have numerous conversations about his game, where he is missing out, and how he can get better. Karthi improved his focus on maintaining his body weight, and on a drive, he'd say he doesn't want to have a cup of tea because he is watching his sugar intake. He has learnt from some of the best coaches in the TN hostel system, so he knows how to work on his game. What we needed to do as a support group was to remind him to just keep trying,' Ranjith says.
When Karthi played at ACT in Chennai, it was a special occasion for his coaches growing up. But for Ranjith, it was bittersweet. 'My father fell ill at that time, so I had to come back to our hometown after letting Karthi know I wouldn't be able to watch. There was a match against Malaysia, and my dad wanted to watch it. I went home, brought the laptop, and we watched it together on the hospital bed. Karthi scored a wonderful goal that night. 'Dai super ah adichan da namma thambi. Excellent receive, super finish.' My dad used to guide him whenever he came home too. And used to discuss a lot with me about his game. He died the next morning. That was the last hockey match he saw. But he was so proud that night,' Ranjith recalls.
The return to the squad is just a start. Karthi and Ranjith have the bigger picture in mind. 'Our main target should be the Olympics,' Ranjith says. 'Actually, sometimes I just randomly text him 'Olympics' at 11 pm before I go to sleep. He'd reply with a heart emoji. 'Kandippa na, kandippa panrom'. (For sure, brother.) He understands it is not easy to make the cut for the Indian Olympic hockey team. It is just to remind him that we are running for something big.'
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First Post
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- First Post
India are second favourites in home ODI World Cup, cannot boast of home advantage: Anjum Chopra
With the next edition of the ICC Women's ODI World Cup now around the corner, the conversation in women's international cricket has shifted to which teams can be potential title favourites, along with seven-time champions, Australia. The 2025 edition will be played in India and Sri Lanka, so India of course are being counted in that shortlist of favourites. This is the fourth time India will be hosting the tournament, but they are yet to win it. Could this edition finally end a fifty-two year jinx? STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The recent triumph in England, where the women's team won both the T20I and the ODI series, was no doubt a huge shot in the arm, a massive confidence booster ahead of a home World Cup. But there are still areas that need improvement. In a freewheeling exclusive chat with Firstpost, Indian cricket legend and former captain, Anjum Chopra, who played over 150 international matches and scored over 3600 runs, spoke about individual Indian players and what they bring to the table, including current captain Harmanpreet Kaur, what the team needs to do as a collective unit to become stronger, the 'who will be captain after Harman?' debate, the potential title favourites to watch out for in the upcoming women's ODI World Cup in India and Sri Lanka and more. This is Part 2 of an exclusive interview with Anjum Chopra. Click here to read Part 1 of the exclusive interview with Anjum Chopra. Could you decode for us what some of the individual Indian all-rounders and bowlers bring to the table? Also, what the Indian team needs to focus on, in terms of personnel, the most, in the run-up to the ODI World Cup at home… Anjum: For me, Sneh Rana is a great value-add. She has missed out on international cricket over the last two years. I don't see her as the best fit in T20Is, but because of her bowling skills, she is a great asset. And because we are now heading into an ODI World Cup, I think she (Sneh Rana) is a great value-add to the Indian team. I am glad she has been in the playing XI, because she adds a lot of depth. But we still need fast bowlers because every condition (that the team plays in) will not allow spin to dominate and with five bowlers, you are always living life on the edge. Some day one of them will have a bad day and then the Indian team will not have a fallback option. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Nowadays, when targets in ODIs can go up to 300-320, when you are under the pump as a bowling unit, you will need to rely on your sixth bowler and the likes of Pratika (Rawal) and Shafali (Verma) are not (really) sixth bowling options. So, yes, spin will play a very crucial role (in the upcoming Women's ODI World Cup in India and Sri Lanka). Deepti (Sharma), Charani and Sneh Rana - they walk into an Indian team today. For Radha Yadav, I feel she is a great asset in the field. She is a very good batter as well, very good overall T20 player, but she still needs to improve on her bowling – in both T20Is and ODIs – and that is probably one of the reasons why Shree Charani was drafted in as well. All the visiting teams who come in (for the ODI World Cup) will know that they will have to go after at least one of the spinners. But even if they play one of the spinners carefully, they will attack our fast bowlers. So, India does need a sixth bowling option and that has to be in the form of a seam bowler. Arundhati Reddy was not their first choice and didn't play the first ODI (was brought in for the second ODI and then dropped again for the third), which clearly shows that they are looking at giving a younger bowler a chance. So, whoever comes in will actually have to be an all-rounder and not an out-and-out fast bowler, because otherwise the balance of the team will be disturbed. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The sixth bowling option has actually been a massive concern for the team for a while now. Whatever the reason, the Indian team doesn't have that solid back-up option to the five frontline bowlers. And none of the top order bowls, which is another concern. Harmanpreet (Kaur) has stopped bowling – whatever the reasons might be. Harleen has never grown into an all-rounder. That is the reason why Harleen is not a consistent playing XI member, because she doesn't bowl. And whether it's Shafali (Verma) or Pratika (Rawal), they have not really worked on their (bowling) skills. If Jemimah (Rodrigues) doesn't score runs, she will miss out on a playing XI, because then Harleen (Deol) will come in. And then you need another bowler. For Smriti, World Cups have not been her domain yet. She hasn't really performed (in World Cups). I don't want to highlight this point of course, but again, the consistency factor comes in. You need your best players to stand up and perform, when it's (most) needed. Have they stood up? They themselves know the answer. Everyone else also knows the answer. We might choose not to talk about this too much or highlight it, but in their hearts, everybody knows everything. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Anjum Chopra says Deepti Sharma is the biggest match-winner in the Indian women's cricket team. Image: BCCI That definitely happens. Often, we see that when a player enters the quote-unquote 'star' category, even fair criticism stops. There is no critiquing that happens anymore, as such, because the thought process is that if you critically analyse a 'star' player's performance, you are somehow doing something you are not meant to do. The fact that critical analysis is not a form of attack and that it's in fact a way to understand what is going wrong and why is somehow lost on most people. Anjum: 100%. If I am sitting in the opposition dressing room, I know how to get a player out, I know where she will falter. The reason we don't criticise is because – A. we don't know if there is another option. B. We like to create stars, because if there are no stars, people are not following the sport, so we create stars. Sometimes we talk endlessly about certain players, even when they are dropped. Deepti Sharma is the biggest performer in the Indian dressing room, but because she might not fall into the 'glamourous' category, people might not talk about her too much. But just look at Deepti's performance as an all-rounder – she is the biggest star in the (Indian) dressing room. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD We don't have a bigger match-winner than her, but no one really talks about her like that. People in the dressing room need to be honest with themselves and the selectors need to be on the same page as well. Let's talk about who the next leader of the Indian team will be after Harmanpreet. Smriti of course has been talked about as the next captain of the Indian women's team, after Harman. Will it be as simple as a passing of the baton from one star player to another? How do you see the change in leadership happening whenever Harman brings the curtain down on her career or decides to step down as captain? Anjum: So, in this present team, obviously, everyone looks at Smriti and the fact that she has been in a captain's position more than anyone else (barring Harmanpreet). The Indian team has to remain in the present first. In the present scenario, anyone who is a regular in the three formats will be looked at (as potential future captains). STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Now, there are very few players who are regulars in all three formats. You can count Jemimah Rodrigues as a regular, Deepti Sharma, Harleen Deol is getting there and then there are Smriti Mandhana and Harmanpreet, of course. There aren't too many players on that list. So, whenever the captaincy shift happens, someone who is a regular in that line-up should be given the baton to carry it forward and it has to be between these 3-4 players, considering they remain the consistent ones (across all three formats) going forward. I have never been a big believer in looking too far ahead. I have never been like that. The reason I have never been like that is because the Indian women's cricket team hasn't evolved as much as the men's cricket team has evolved. We are not World Champions. We don't have the kind of depth (as the men's team) where Shubman (Gill) goes out, Sai Sudharsan comes in, Rishabh (Pant) goes out, (Dhruv) Jurel comes in – the women's team hasn't reached that stage yet. We will take time to get there. For an Australian team to look at someone like Tahlia McGrath (all-rounder and current Australian vice-captain) as a future captain – there is a question mark there too, even though she is a consistent performer, so they have someone like a Beth Mooney (Aussie batter who plays all three formats) as back-up. So, the Indian team has to stay in the present and ensure that the results keep going their way, so that the bench-strength keeps getting better. It has to be a top-down approach. As a unit, they need to be well-oiled. Which is why who is in your support staff becomes extremely crucial. So, the players, they have to be groomed. How much of that is happening is anybody's guess. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD I still feel that there are no clear favourites in this Indian line-up to become the next captain, but one of the above has to become, because they are regulars in the Indian team. I think the Indian team will take another 5-7 years at least, from where we are now, before we reach a stage where we try somebody else as a T20I captain and have a separate Test and ODI captain, somebody who is rock-solid in these formats. Anjum Chopra wants captain Harmanpreet Kaur to play more match-winning ODI knocks. Image: BCCI A word on Harman - the all-rounder and the captain. She hasn't bowled regularly in a while and we would all like to see her bowl a bit more, perhaps. I am not sure why she is not bowling, as such. On the recent tour of England, she didn't play the first T20I, but overall, in the other games, she didn't really make a mark with the bat and also didn't bowl at all. In the first ODI, she fell for 17 and then of course she played a fantastic knock in the 3rd ODI, scoring a century. Where does Harman's game stand as of now, according to you? Anjum: So, Harman as captain is a no-brainer. She has to be the captain. For me, personally, from when she (Harmanpreet) walked into the Indian team in 2009, she was a match-winner at that time itself. In fact, she has been a match-winner from the time she walked into an Indian camp or an Indian team. That is why she has been my favourite cricketer from the time I saw her first as an Under-19 player. Sometimes you have a connect with another player and I instantly had that connect with her. And that is still true for me. I feel she has been the biggest match-winner in the country and one of the biggest and best match-winners in world cricket overall. But, over the last few years, whether it's because of injuries, and she is injury-prone, or anything else (she hasn't hit her stride). Now, currently it's the last stretch and as a cricketer, when you walk out to the middle, you have to understand that every match could potentially be your last match at that venue and you have to contribute. She has not been doing justice to the kind of talent that she has - the kind of expectations we have of her as Harmanpreet Kaur, the player. And that is not good for Indian cricket. Despite her non-performance, the Indian team has done well. Harman has to tell herself and understand the fact that her missing out on scoring or not bowling is not helping either her or the team. She has to be fit enough to perform in all departments. She has to bowl, she has to bat and she has to score runs. Whether it's the fitness trainer who is doing it or you are doing it yourself, you have to take care of your body. Now there is no comfort zone, now is the last 20m burst before you cross the finish line and in the last 20m you give it your all, you don't save your energy. The kind of dismissals that I have seen of hers in the last two years or so have been very similar. Now, whether it's because of an injury that she has had to change her style of play or whether her style of play has changed because her concentration span has reduced with age – the older you get, you have to keep switching on and off – it's something that she needs to work on. She can play a match phase by phase and India need that, but she is missing out on that. Yes, she has played good knocks, but the consistency has been missing. I saw the 66 runs that she scored for the Mumbai Indians in the last edition of the WPL (in the final) and it was a match-winning contribution. That is the kind of contribution we need to see from her in 50-over cricket also. You should be fully fit and be able to fire on all cylinders when you are playing for India. I had a brief chat with her recently and I told her – 'this is your last stretch, make sure you finish on a high.' And she also understands that. If Harman and Harleen start bowling a few overs, we are there. In the 2011 men's ODI World Cup, which we won at home, Yuvraj (Singh) bowled (15 wickets in 9 matches), Suresh Raina bowled a few overs (2 overs and took 1 wicket). Why is a player like Harleen underutilising her skills as a bowler? I have seen her from her junior cricket days, she used to be a leg-spinner. Where is that skill now? You can't let a skill just wither away. Bowl a few overs. For Harman also – she needs to introspect, talk to herself. She has to understand how crucial a member of the Indian team she is and because she is the captain, things will be expected of her. Shubman Gill knows things are expected of him. To make 400 plus runs in one Test match – that is a testament to not only your skill, but also your fitness. The concentration levels of course will be different, because Harman is older, but because you are an Indian captain, you have to take a step back and understand how you can contribute and how you will be able to get through those 100 or 40 overs. That is your own homework. Indian women's cricket team are heavily reliant on spinners. Image: BCCI Now, when it comes to cricket, one thing that has historically been talked about a fair bit ahead of any big tournament is home conditions. Whether those conditions actually help the home team when they are up against the best in the world etc. is a different conversation. But, going by the fact that the next edition of the women's ODI World Cup will be played in India (and Sri Lanka) and that the tournament will be played in the round-robin format, where would you put the Indian team in the pecking order of title favourites? Anjum: India, I think will be second favourites, simply because Australia (7-time champions) will be the team to beat. Also, for the fans, India will be the number one favourites. But India is also one country which cannot boast of home advantage anymore, whether it's in the men's game or the women's game, because everyone comes here and plays so much cricket throughout the year. Also, in the women's game, the nature of the pitches that we play on is a very big factor. If the pitches are not the best, if they are too challenging, then you will not enjoy watching women's cricket. Women's cricket is best enjoyed when the conditions are very good for batting and the surface is very true. It's like how we expect a pitch to be in a T20 match in men's cricket. I am not saying it shouldn't be good for bowling, but it should (definitely) be good for batting. That's when you will see a good contest. Now, because, by and large the conditions in India will be good, they won't really be alien to anyone. So, we cannot really boast of home advantage, as such. But yes, there will always be an underlying, unspoken comfort zone, which we as an Indian team will always have is that we know we are playing in our country – wherever we turn, we will have support. In a foreign land, you will only have the support of the 20-30 people who travel with you and then parts of the crowd at the matches. Here, everything is very familiar. That confidence cannot be taken away from a home team and also cannot be given to any foreign player who plays regularly in India. Since the (upcoming) World Cup is being played in a round-robin format, so every match will be essential, NRR will be important, what if one of your matches is washed out etc. – everything becomes important. Plus, India will be playing in all the venues (five venues across India and Sri Lanka), like in the 2023 men's ODI World Cup (in India across 10 venues). So, the women's team will need to adapt very quickly – from Indore to Bengaluru to Colombo to Guwahati – the conditions will change. Which is also why I said earlier that the team shouldn't rely on just spinners (in the bowling department), you must always have a backup option. I feel New Zealand will also be a good team (at the World Cup). They have won the T20 World Cup (2024). They will have experienced players in their line-up, they should have the spinners who have done well in UAE conditions. They are not talked about a lot, but they are a good team. They have strong, powerful batters. The South African players are also very well versed with the Indian conditions, which can be conducive for their bowling line-up. Now they also have a leg-spinner who they have started picking (19-year-old Seshnie Naidu). Also, let's not count out a team like Sri Lanka. They might not be on the shortlist of title favourites, but they will be playing a few matches in home conditions. They created problems for South Africa and they can do the same to other teams also. The round-robin format will always ask a team to be at their best, always. So, the Indian team too have to be at their best. They need to rest well, prepare well. They will need to have all their bases covered in batting, bowling. The templates might need to change depending on the opposition and game plans.
Hindustan Times
38 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
August 15, 1929 hrs: Five years since MS Dhoni retired from international cricket but the legend still reigns in Yellow
It's been five years since MS Dhoni stunned the cricketing world by retiring from international cricket on August 15, 2020, during the COVID-19 hiatus. The decision left his passionate fans emotional, as many had hoped to see the legend finish his illustrious career on a high. His last outing in India colours came in the 2019 ODI World Cup semi-final, where he walked off in tears after being run out in a heartbreaking loss that ended India's campaign. MS Dhoni last played for India in the 2019 World Cup.(Getty Images) Dhoni made his international debut in 2004 and went on to write a new history in Indian cricket during his tenure as captain. He remained the only captain in international cricket to win all three ICC trophies: 2007 T20 World Cup, 2011 World Cup and 2013 Champions Trophy. The swashbuckling wicketkeeper batter was given the big role of captain for the first time in the 2007 T20 WC to lead a young side in the inaugural edition of the tournament. The low expectations from the Indian team worked in its favour as Dhoni led them to the title triumph with win over Pakistan. The 2007 final against Pakistan was the first instance where the cricket world truly witnessed Dhoni's tactical acumen, as he handed the ball to Joginder Sharma instead of the experienced Harbhajan Singh for the decisive last over. In 2011, he helped India win the ODI World Cup for the second time, ending a 28-year wait. Dhoni hit the winning run for India in the final as he finished off the match in style with a six as his unbeaten 91 earned him the Player of the Match in one of the most historical matches in Indian cricket history. Dhoni announced his international retirement in his trademark simple style with an Instagram post: 'Thanks a lot for your love and support… from 1929 hrs, consider me retired.' True to his nature, it was brief, clear, and without any grand send-off. The fact that it came on August 15, India's Independence Day, gave the moment extra significance. During his illustrious career, Dhoni represented India in 90 Tests, scoring 4,876 runs and six centuries. He quit the longest format in 2014. Meanwhile, in 350 ODIs, amassing 10,773 runs at an average of over 50, including 10 hundreds. In T20Is, he played 98 matches, scoring 1,617 runs. Renowned for his wicketkeeping, he claimed 634 catches and 195 stumpings across formats. MS Dhoni still going strong in IPL However, he has yet to announce his retirement from the IPL as he continues to represent Chennai Super Kings in the cash-rich league. The legendary wicketkeeper-batter has played in 278 IPL matches, amassing 5,439 runs at an average of 38.30. He has hammered 24 fifties, hit 237 sixes, and led CSK to five IPL titles, cementing his legacy.
India.com
38 minutes ago
- India.com
Top 10 Most Followed Athletes On Instagram In 2025: Cristiano Ronaldo To Virat Kohli
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