Not getting a break is different kind of disappointment when you do well, says Baba Indrajith

The most recent 2023-24 Ranji season was particularly rewarding in terms of the public recognition Indrajith received. He accumulated 767 runs in 13 innings at an average of 69.72 with two hundreds and four fifties.

The most recent 2023-24 Ranji season was particularly rewarding in terms of the public recognition Baba Indrajith received. | Photo Credit: Ragu R / The Hindu

It’s fair to say that Baba Indrajith played one of the finest knocks in the Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL) history, when he hit an unbeaten 49-ball 96 (11x4, 5x6) to help Dindigul Dragons (DD) chase down 172 against Lyca Kovai Kings (LKK) with five wickets and four balls to spare during the league stage.

That knock was crucial in Dragons qualifying for the playoffs.

There was one particularly spectacular, audacious, and unusual scoop shot for a six off medium-pacer Yudheeswaran in that innings - unmoved, he merely opened the face of the bat, which he held out to meet the ball and scooped it over the keeper’s head on the off-side itself.

Interestingly, he said he doesn’t practise that shot in the nets.

“I didn’t practise in the nets for that. I instinctively hit it. I played (that shot) because I instinctively knew it would connect. I back my instincts,” he said over the phone before the playoffs.

In the same innings, he also played the usual scoop to the fine leg boundary for a four off medium-pacer M. Mohammed.

“I practised the scoop a lot one season. It was one phase. But after that, I realised it came off good when I naturally played it straightaway in the match. So, I don’t practise that kind of shots too much in the practice sessions.

“When I keep things natural, it comes off good for me. As it’s been good for me, I’ve been maintaining it like that. I play that kind of shots directly in the match.”

He admits that he’s similarly been going with the flow when it comes to life at large. “It’s more of acceptance,” he said. “I am accepting things.”

Having recently won the TNPL title with Dindigul Dragons, Indrajith would, as he often puts it lately, “trust the timing.” | Photo Credit: PERIASAMY M/ The Hindu

For someone who’s quietly toiled for years to be a Team India prospect, this philosophical approach seems only inevitable.

In the 2018-19 season, Indrajith was the top run-getter for India Green with an average of 74.50 in three innings in the Duleep Trophy, following which he ended up as the top run-getter for Tamil Nadu in the Ranji Trophy with an average of 58.27 in 12 innings.

In the 2021-22 Ranji season, he once again finished as the top run-getter for Tamil Nadu with an average of 99 in four innings!

But the most recent 2023-24 Ranji season was particularly rewarding in terms of the public recognition he received. He accumulated 767 runs in 13 innings at an average of 69.72 with two hundreds and four fifties, as Tamil Nadu reached the semifinals for the first time since 2016-17.

One particular innings gained considerable traction - his 98 (194b, 3x4) on the last day against a strong Karnataka bowling attack in front of a sizeable crowd at the M.A. Chidambaram stadium here.

Chasing 355, Tamil Nadu, which ended up with 338 for eight, began the day on 36 for one and got into a winning position, courtesy of Indrajith.

That knock and draw was crucial for Tamil Nadu to get to the knockout stage.

“I didn’t understand the significance of that innings at that time. I didn’t know that I was playing an important knock. Only in the last hour or so, I had the feeling that something special was happening. From nowhere, we’d come close to chasing down the target. Even until Tea, we didn’t have that idea (of winning). Everything panned out well.

Baba Indrajith ended up as the top run-getter for Tamil Nadu but faced disappointment again when his brave effort in Tamil Nadu’s 294-run chase against Haryana in the Vijay Hazare Trophy semifinal went in vain. | Photo Credit: VIJAY SONEJI / The Hindu

“People had come to Chepauk that day. The recognition I got after that (knock) was great. I had traction, I had the limelight. I felt like I’d gotten my break for that tournament,” he said.

But this was all after the disappointment of not being included in the Tamil Nadu squad for the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy last season.

“I was disappointed and dejected. But there was no one to blame for not selecting me. I was not there. I was not there to prove myself. I was upset. I wanted to make it count in Vijay Hazare (Trophy). So, I worked really hard.”

He ended up as the top run-getter for Tamil Nadu, but faced disappointment again when his brave effort (64, 71b, 5x4) in Tamil Nadu’s 294-run chase against Haryana in the semifinal went in vain. He had deep cuts on his upper lip from a fall, but got it taped and batted at No. 5.

For someone who says he might have faced a lot of downs than ups in his life, he’s had to work on dealing with disappointments.

“There has been a phase where I’ve not played cricket for seven months with my injury and stuff. And it’s happened a couple of times. So, coming out of that and playing the Ranji season itself, was a big thing. And when you do well, that is a different kind of disappointment when you don’t get the break.

“I’m a very emotional person. When I have success, I’m not too excited or anything. But when there is a loss or disappointment, I go deep into a shell. It’s not just in cricket, but in life as well. So, that has impacted me a lot - the downs, losses, and failures. I wanted to handle my emotions better. That’s why, I began focusing a lot on yoga and stuff,” he said.

And that’s how he’s gotten tempered and philosophical as he is now.

“I’ve always had this inclination towards spirituality. But especially post-COVID, I’ve had a lot of emphasis on it. My friend who’s playing cricket is also a yoga teacher. So, I did a lot of courses. I did the Inner Engineering (Isha Yoga Center) course. I did the follow-up course, for which I went there.

“From the last domestic season till now, for almost nine months, everyday I’ve been doing yoga. I want to tick all the boxes, cricket-wise. And apart from that, life-wise. Even off the field, to handle my mind and emotions, I think yoga has helped me a lot.”

India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin considers Indrajith “an unlucky cricketer from Tamil Nadu, who hasn’t had a break to play for India.”

Having recently won the TNPL title with Dindigul Dragons, Indrajith would, as he often puts it lately, “trust the timing.”