Tamil Nadu's champion cricketer Thirush Kamini: On the crease, ready to bat even after 24 years...

CHENNAI: “They said she was too young,” rued M Dickeshwashankar, Thirush Kamini’s father on her international debut in the 2006 Asia Cup as a 16-year-old schoolgirl. She was the player of the tournament in that series. “Kamini should have debuted in 2004 itself.”

Recalling her 96 runs in a match watched by selectors, he added: “Four runs denied her international exposure by two years.”

“The 96 runs she scored. Those who bowled were Indian players. I mean, she was a prodigy,” her younger sister, MD Sugaragamini finished her father’s thoughts.

“They said she was too young, too small,” Dickeshwashankar scoffed again (Let’s call him Mr D).

Where it began

Thirush’s family lives in Royapettah, a five-minute drive from Gopalapuram – which, for decades, was the epicentre of Tamil Nadu politics. Gopalapuram was also the epicentre of her cricketing journey. “The Gopalapuram ground influenced my career big time. In the late 90s, a girl practicing cricket with her father in that public ground – people looked at us with surprise,” said a 34-year-old old Thirush.

Next year, she’ll be completing Silver Jubilee as a professional cricketer, a sport she took an interest in because her father spent late nights watching live cricket on TV. Her father is a hockey player, who married a basketball player, but loved cricket. Nothing unique there. He is one among half a billion.

Except, wanting to make his daughter a professional cricketer might have been a revolutionary thought in the 90s, but for someone from a sports background, it was a no-brainer.

“I love sports, but I liked cricket more. Thirush used to watch West Indies matches with me before going to sleep. She must be about six or seven years old then. Next morning, she would enquire about the match. This was happening regularly. So, a thought stuck,” he reminisced.

Mr D was a clichéd sports dad. He introduced her to a variety of sports, such as fencing and tennis to name a few. There was a financial reason to not send his daughter for tennis coaching. “In 1997-98,” he recalled, “it cost about Rs 800 for tennis coaching while half the amount for cricket.”

Tennis also did not align with his hands-on approach principle where Mr D wanted to be involved in the shaping of his daughter’s career. Expenses such as a makeshift court, and balls for private practice did give him pause, though he wanted to emulate a famous tennis dad when his second daughter, Sugaragamini too, took up cricket.

Thus, during one of his late night sojourns in front of the TV, when his seven-year-old raised her eyebrows at the exquisite batting of Brian Lara, he believed his daughter was equally smitten too. Mr D wasted no time.

Hit ‘em Hard

Coaching began at home. His hockey shin guards from his playing days served as the makeshift cricket pads for his daughter.

Yes, Mr D did not seek advice, did not make her play ‘tennis ball cricket’ like most. He straight away took his daughter, a naturally right-handed girl, bat left-handed (like his favourite Brian Lara) with a hard cork ball.

“I trained her to take the hits (on the body) from a very young age,” he says. Father and daughter trained every morning and evening at the Corporation ground in Gopalapuram. And training happened in the afternoons too, as Thirush made strides. “In April-May, conditions in North India are too hot. I wanted her to be prepared for that.”

During the day, when boys who played at the ground offered to bowl at the young girl, she took them to the cleaners. It hurt their egos. The boys started chucking with an intent to injure her. And succeeded.

“Once, a boy,” recalled her father, “must be a decade older than Thirush. He told me that he’ll bowl. He ran steaming in and bowled at a pace Thirush never encountered till then.”

The ball hit the seven-year old’s abdomen and she fainted. Her father ran to her, worried. Mr D could not remember why he never said what he wanted to say – “Let’s stop”. But within minutes, the kid rose up, looked at the boy and said, “Naalaikum Vaanga Anna (Come tomorrow too, brother)”. That’s when the father knew they were in synergy.

“Appa introduced me to cricket. I enjoy the sport. I liked the competition,” Thirush told DT Next recalling the incident of the fast bowler roughing her up badly. “I think the game connected with my personality.”

Making of a Prodigy

Her father’s love for the game and his throw-downs would not be enough for Thirush to make it. Mr D had prepared his daughter enough initially, but she needed professional coaching and the initial days were unsurprisingly bitter memories for the father.

In her sub-junior cricket days, Thirush played with the boys and her father remembers an incident when the coach/selector denied Thirush a chance in an Under 10 match, citing age.

“It was the day of her 10th birthday. We had cut the cake in the morning and Thirush was looking forward to playing the match. When they cited the age bar, I reminded them that she will be completing 10 years of age only by 5.30 pm. They shut me down. I felt bad. Age was not the reason,” Mr D said.

He also remembers going to a popular coaching camp at a city college to enrol his daughter. The coaching staff rejected Thirush and said they do not encourage girls to take up cricket. “When we go to a restaurant, we’re ready to pay. They should offer us food, right?” Thirush’s father wondered.

He then put her into another coaching camp, not the standard he had in mind, but he compensated with his own additional training. A string of coaching camps followed and Thirush eventually honed her skills at the Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu’s Cricket Academy under Coach Pradeep Kumar.

Thirush made her debut for Tamil Nadu senior’s team as a 11-year-old and in four years, she would be touring Pakistan as part of the India Under 21 team. A year later, she made her international debut for Team India in the Asia Cup.

The Mini Sisters

In the victorious Asia Cup campaign, Thirush was the player of the tournament for her all-round performance of eight wickets and over 140 runs including a 60 against Sri Lanka.

Thirush was a Class 11 student at Church Park school in Chennai. Team India’s coach in that Asia Cup was Sudha Shah, another stalwart from Tamil Nadu, who had termed Thirush “the find of the series’.

“I hope that my performances will help many more girls from the state to take the game,” Thirush is quoted as saying in a 2006-newspaper article. By then though, she had already influenced one girl to take up cricket – her younger sister.

“I first started playing cricket watching my sister. She was hardly at school. But, whenever she came, there was some appreciation. It did not make sense. School ku varadhavangalukku ivlo appreciation ah? (This much appreciation for a chronic absentee?)” laughs Sugaragamini.

The school too supported Thirush’s cricket pursuits and allowed her to avail leave for camps and matches. “I would like to thank Sister Mary Anne of Church Park at this moment. The school has a rich legacy. Former Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa studied there. DMK MP MK Kanimozhi is an alumnus. That my daughter too was treated special during her time there is a matter of pride to me,” Shankar smiled.

By her own admission, Suga realised that discipline involved in elite sports was tough only when she tried to emulate her sister. Suga is only three years younger, but she did not face difficulties in finding professional coaching, like her sister. “It was normalised by then. The only struggle I had was that I had to match up to my sister,” she stated.

Suga is also a left-handed batter too. Thirush was her Brian Lara. “There is a mathematical (calculation) behind it,” says their father. “Economics,” counters Suga, referring to the left hand gloves and kits she got as hand-downs from her sister.

Shankar explained his mindset when both his daughters took up cricket. Thirush was a left-hand opening batter and a right arm leg spinner. Her sister was an opening batter and left arm off spinner. “Imagine this combination on the field. Every management will lap it up,” Shankar says.

Mr D wanted to be the Richard Williams of cricket and even had the adage ready if they played international Cricket together, ‘The Mini Sisters’ like the Williams’ sisters of tennis.

Unfortunately, that was not to be. Suga, who played for Tamil Nadu, gave up playing when she was 22 due to personal reasons, but she remains connected with the game. She is a trained performance nutritionist and a NCA-certified cricket coach.

“Appa is not happy with my decision to become a coach. He wanted to make us like Serena Williams and Venus Williams. I am happy with my decision,” Suga avers. Along with her father, she remains Thirush’s loudest cheerleader.

The Pillars

Thirush is not just an accomplished cricketer. She holds a Master’s degree in Communication from MOP Vaishnav College for Women, and also holds a MPhil from University of Madras. Her father let on that she would be pursuing her PhD soon.

Like cricket, equal importance to academics was instilled in her from an early age by her late mother, Manimegalai. “My mother was very particular about my academic pursuit. From primary school to until I graduated from college, my routine remained the same. During PT period at school, I used to study to compensate for the classes I missed because of matches,” stated Thirush.

“Amma wanted Akka to become a doctor,” said Suga.

“Actually, she would have easily become a doctor,” said Mr D. “But, I am not sure if she would handle surgeries quite well,” imitating an angry slash, referring to his elder daughter’s temper. “Cricket dhaan correct (cricket was the right choice).”

Mr D was employed with the Chennai Port and his wife was working in a bank. Thirush’s career was growing in leaps and there came a point where Mr D had to decide between his work and Thirush’s career. In 2005, a year before Thirush’s eventual international debut, he took VRS (voluntary retirement), a good 11 years still left in his government service. Manimegalai assured him that she would take care of the family.

When asked about his wife’s reaction about the injuries caused by the cricket ball on young Thirush, Mr D heaved a sigh and said, “Avangalukku basic ah therinjuruchu, ivan velayattu porukki nu (She realised that I was a sucker for sports).” As we both let out a chuckle, Suga intervenes, “Actually, Mom was a basketball player too.”

The sisters grew up with two moms – Manimegalai and her younger sister, Bhavani, both post graduates in science and sports players. “Amma was a basketball player and chithi (aunt) had played kabaddi. Sports was welcome in the family. One thing they insisted was academics should have equal importance. Even if Akka missed some classes, they helped with studies at home,” Suga piped in.

The family watched Thirush play for the first time during a sub-junior match held in Jamshedpur. “Like families go for annual vacations, I took my family on a cricket pilgrimage. All places we visited for vacation were cricket centres like Bombay, Bangalore, and Calcutta. I used to take Thirush to the international grounds there and show her around,” Mr D recalled.

The family could not watch the Asia Cup (Thirush’s debut international series), but they watched her play in the quadrangular series held in Chennai in 2007 after her international debut.

Thirush’s career was soaring. She was selected for the Border-Gavaskar scholarship at the Centre of Excellence in Brisbane, Australia. She was 18.

The family however was at a crossroads. Manimegalai had a health scare, a rare health condition which was diagnosed very late. “When Thirush went to Australia, she was hospitalised,” says Mr D. On her return, Thirush had to leave home again for an inter-state women’s one-day tournament and then tragedy struck. Manimegalai passed away.

The family informed the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association, who arranged for Thirush to travel from Anantapur (Andhra Pradesh) to Chennai.

Sadagopan Satish (former India player Sadagopan Ramesh’s brother) was the coach of the women’s team at that time and he accompanied Thirush to her home. Satish told Mr D that the upcoming matches are important and they wanted Thirush to play.

“My mom was very particular that I should not lose focus from the task at hand. I was in the middle of the tournament (when she died). I don’t know from where I mustered the strength. After attending mom’s final rites, I travelled overnight and scored 152 in the next match,” Thirush told DT Next.

“Tamil Nadu won with a bonus point. Even today, those in TNCA remember that match,” says Mr D. “Like Sachin Tendulkar, who played within days after his father’s death, my daughter did too.”

Her mother’s death also changed the relationship dynamics between the sisters. For the younger one, Thirush was her captain and they shared a captain-player relationship in their growing years.

“She was constantly travelling. Hardly at home,” said a wistful Suga.

“After mom’s death, she had a void. I had to fill in and we’ve been inseparable since,” said Kamini.

Five years after their mother’s death, their aunt Bhavani died in 2013, the year Thirush made a comeback after a two-year hiatus due to a knee injury.

Memorable Milestones

“The comeback is always stronger than the setback,” goes a popular (instagrammable) saying. On January 31, 2013, Thirush returned to play in India colours after a two-year gap due to an injury.

India faced West Indies at the Brabourne stadium, Mumbai, in its first match of the ICC Women’s World Cup campaign. Thirush scored a ton in the match, the first by an Indian women cricketer in a world cup. “I was there in the stands witnessing Akka hitting a World Cup 100. It’s close to heart. But we did not know then. Even Akka did not know (about the record),” Suga said.

Thirush was the player of the match, but the campaign went downhill for the Indian team, which finished at 7th place, with only neighbours, Pakistan behind us.

The next year, Thirush had another milestone for the record books, this time in Test cricket. Against a formidable South African team, Thirush scored a mammoth 192 runs off 430 balls. She spent over nine hours at the batting crease and was involved in a 275-run partnership for the second wicket with another Centurion, Punam Raut, which eventually set up Team India’s innings victory against the South Africans.

For Thirush, the World Cup-100 scores a tad above the Test ton. “The journey to that game was 2.5 years long. I was out of the team due to injury. That I got to score a 100 in my comeback-tournament and the comeback match was cherry on top,” she smiled.

There is one other match, which remains close to both Thirush and Mr D – a TNCA league match in which the opponent coach requested the match-overs to be restricted as there was no stopping Thirush. “She had not played India then. She opened and scored 221 within 40 overs. The opponent team's coach came and told the organisers to finish the match as they couldn’t get Thirush out,” Mr D recalled proudly.

Thirush too remembers the match vividly. “Only after that score, I got the confidence to play long innings. Double century in any level is a confidence booster,” she said.

Thirush last played for India in February 2017, against South Africa in the ICC Women’s World Cup qualifier. Despite a century against Ireland women in the tournament, Thirush did not find a place in the World Cup Squad which went to England.

The Indian women ended up runners up in the tournament and the Indian women’s game underwent a sea change after that.

On October 18, this year, seven years since her last international match, Thirush achieved the milestone of 10,000 runs in senior women’s cricket, a feat achieved only by four others in the country. The achievement is a reflection of her consistency and perseverance.

“She had to miss two seasons due to a knee injury. Her dedication from a very young age has been phenomenal. She has missed several birthday parties, outings with friends and all these are not just for tournaments but also for practice sessions. A dedicated elite sportsperson’s life is about discipline. I don’t see her tiring out anytime soon,” said Sugaragamini.

Thirush has also taken up broadcasting recently and balances it along with her playing career, inspired by Tamil Nadu and Indian cricketer, Dinesh Karthik.

Though Australian Karen Rolton was her inspiration while growing up, a teenage Thirush couldn’t muster up the courage to interact with her despite playing against her. Over the course of her career, she has rubbed shoulders with several greats of the game. When asked about the best compliment she had received in her career, she said, “Haan, pannitiye (You seem to have done it) from my father.”

Mr D, however, still rues that his daughter is not selected for India. “Yes, playing for India is very important. But, I cannot judge myself based on selection. I want to compete as an athlete and be the best in the country. My greatest motivation has been my love for the game. Till today, even if it’s a practice match, I’ve never felt tired,” said Thirush.

“For her early debut, they said she was too young. Now they say she is too old,” Mr D lamented.

The ‘Mini sisters’ dream still remains

Thirush has several ‘Player of the year’ awards from both the BCCI and TNCA. Those who follow the women’s game rate her very high. But, has she been recognised enough?

The consciously positive cricketer told DT Next that, at this moment, she feels blessed to have played the game for so long, and said: “Maybe after retirement, I will have time to think (about recognition).”

Her father, on the other hand, feels that the recognition for her achievements have been less. She and Punam Raut remain the only two who have not been awarded the Arjuna Award in the 10,000 run list. “I am not talking only about Thirush. For every family who shed their blood and sweat, such recognitions from the government will be inspiring,” said Mr D.

That was only a father speaking, and while aware of his sacrifices, he fondly remembers those who helped him along the way, even the boys who got angry and chucked the ball at Thirush, injuring her. On that list is an inanimate object too.

“There is a wall at the Gopalapuram ground. I want to thank that wall,” he says. Thirush too feels a sense of gratitude for the wall. “There is a tree which is right in the middle of the wall. My father used to tell me to target its roots and hit the balls,” she said.

A flex board reading, ‘MD Thirushkamini, MA, MPhil, Indian Women Cricketer’, adorns the family residence in Royapettah.

When asked why only Thirush’s name is outside the house, her father said that Thirush is the family’s anchor. He lets out a smile and reminds the reporter that he is a retired Port Trust employee and proud of his wordplay. He doesn’t stop there. “Thirush is our light house” and explained that the name Thirush itself encompasses letters borrowed from the names of all family members and she rightfully is up there.

And as an afterthought, he adds in jest, “Maybe, I will add Suga’s name too if she coaches the Indian team to victory in some major tournament in the future.”

Career Highlights

10,000-plus runs

· Runs scored by Thirush Kamini in Senior Women’s Cricket

· Milestone achieved on October 18, 2024, against Andhra Pradesh in the Inter-state T20 competition

· Fifth Indian player and First Tamil Nadu batter do so

Others in the list

Mithali Raj

Smriti Mandhana

Harmanpreet Kaur

Punam Raut

100 vs West Indies, 2013

· In 2013, Thirush became the first Indian woman batter to score a century in ICC Women’s World Cup

· Her other ODI 100 came in a World Cup qualifier match against Ireland in 2017

192 vs South Africa, 2014

· Thirush highest score in Test Cricket

· Third highest score by an Indian in women’s cricket

Playing for Love

· Toured Pakistan as part of the India Under 21 team as a 15-year-old

· Made India-debut in 2006-Asia Cup against Pakistan as a 16-year-old. She was Player of the Tournament

· In domestic cricket, Thirush has represented the powerhouse Railways Team

· In recent years, Thirush plays for her home state, Tamil Nadu and also Captains on the side

Partnerships: Punam Raut

· The batter who was Thirush’s partner in both milestones

· 175 – Partnership between Thirush and Raut in the 2013 World Cup match against WI.

· 275 – Partnership in Women’s Test match against South Africa in 2014