Former Indian bowler Lakshmipathy Balaji lavished praise on one former batsman, recalling a match where he returned from hospital in drips to score a match-saving hundred.
Subramaniam Badrinath was arguably one of the most talented batsmen in his era to have missed out on a regular spot in the Indian cricket team. His prime as a batsman came during the time when the Indian team's batting order was jam-packed with greats like Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman.
Badrinath, a domestic stalwart, has 10,245 runs in his First-class career with an average of 54.49. However, he could only make two Test appearances for the Indian team.
His record justifiably commands respect and his contemporaries have often spoken highly about his batting abilities. During a conversation, Badrinath's former Chennai teammate Lakshmipathy Balaji also talked about his class.
He said that Badrinath would predict how many runs he would score in a particular session!
“Have you heard somebody casually say that he is going to score a hundred? I saw that in 2005. Different Badris. Different stages showcasing what all he could do. He was toying with the bowlers,” Balaji said on R Ashwin’s YouTube show ‘Formula for Success’.
“At one stage, the best spinners were bowling. He had already told me that he is going to score a hundred in an hour and that he is going to hit this bowler for these many runs in this session.
“Badri is the greatest example of how people evolve over time. He was able to transform to aggressive. You must have seen him in IPL."
He also recalled an instance when Badrinath returned to a game after getting a round of drips due to dehydration and scored a match-saving century.
“There was a match when he came after getting a round of drips from Malar Hospital due to dehydration. And the team again collapsed," said Balaji.
“Badri was technically sound and never gave his wicket away but everyone saw it from the opposite side. But the same Badri showed his other side. During his Ranji Trophy debut, he showed how a century can be scored in one session.
“So he came with the drips set-up in an ambulance and played. He removed all that and went in. Again defence and a match-saving hundred. Nobody knows about all this. Badri can do many things. He is the greatest example for everyone across generations.”
