Parents bask in Chepauk 'son'shine
Chennai, Dec 20, 2016, DHNS
Triple delight
Sitting in the hospitality box at the M A Chidambaram Stadium, Karun Nair’s parents -- Kaladharan and Prema -- were a bundle of nerves as their son approached the 300-run mark.
Some of their relatives had held their mobile cameras out to capture the milestone moment while the parents clutched their seats, flashed nervy smiles at small talk and shuffled uncomfortably in their seats under the glare of the media personnel who were waiting to capture their reaction. The moment finally arrived when Karun drove Adil Rashid for a four through cover to move from 299 to 303.
Like everyone else in the stadium, they jumped out of their seats in unbridled joy and applauded until their son disappeared into the pavilion. There was an unmistakable pride on their faces and a lump in their throat. If they didn’t shed a tear or two in joy, it was only because they were too shy to do that in public.
“What impressions can I give,” asked Kaladharan when sought his reaction. “There is nothing better than what I have seen sitting here. It’s a great achievement. It’s what he had wished for and he has achieved it today. He wanted to come out very well. The first two matches unfortunately did not go his way but finally he has proved that he belongs here,” said the Bengaluru-based businessman.
Karun’s parents had seen their son make his Test debut in Mohali on TV and seen him bat in Mumbai, and both had been forgettable experiences as the right-hander had returned meagre figures of four and 13. Having travelled from Bengaluru to watch their son bat live in an international match for the first time, Kaladharan and Prema flew back home with happiness etched on their faces.
“I watched his Test debut on TV and I have watched all the matches he has played in Bengaluru. But I was nervous when he approached 100, 200 and then 300… We wanted him to get it because we know he is capable of doing it. He tries to score maximum. In Ranji Trophy he scored 328, now 303 not out in Tests,” he said cutting the numerous calls he was receiving.
“I have been getting a lot of calls but I am not picking them up. Especially during a match, I don’t answer phone calls.”
Kaladharan and Prema didn’t have any time to celebrate the occasion in Chennai as they had to rush back to Bengaluru. “She (pointing to his wife) is a teacher in Chinmaya Vidyalaya and we have already been here for the last three days. I would like to stay here tomorrow but because of her (work), we have to go back,” he said.
Prema was choked for words. “I am very very happy… (I am shedding) tears of joy.”
Sunny’s pat
Former captain Sunil Gavaskar said Nair and KL Rahul’s knocks reminded him of their illustrious predecessors from Karnataka -- Gundappa Vishwanath and Rahul Dravid. “There are two benchmarks of batsmanship for Karnataka. One is Gundappa Vishwanath and another is Rahul Dravid. And what we saw today and yesterday with KL Rahul was a combination of the two. We saw the discipline and temperament of Rahul Dravid and the flair and the strokeplay of Gundappa. There was such a wonderful mix of Rahul and Gundappa in both the innings.”
Some of their relatives had held their mobile cameras out to capture the milestone moment while the parents clutched their seats, flashed nervy smiles at small talk and shuffled uncomfortably in their seats under the glare of the media personnel who were waiting to capture their reaction. The moment finally arrived when Karun drove Adil Rashid for a four through cover to move from 299 to 303.
Like everyone else in the stadium, they jumped out of their seats in unbridled joy and applauded until their son disappeared into the pavilion. There was an unmistakable pride on their faces and a lump in their throat. If they didn’t shed a tear or two in joy, it was only because they were too shy to do that in public.
“What impressions can I give,” asked Kaladharan when sought his reaction. “There is nothing better than what I have seen sitting here. It’s a great achievement. It’s what he had wished for and he has achieved it today. He wanted to come out very well. The first two matches unfortunately did not go his way but finally he has proved that he belongs here,” said the Bengaluru-based businessman.
Karun’s parents had seen their son make his Test debut in Mohali on TV and seen him bat in Mumbai, and both had been forgettable experiences as the right-hander had returned meagre figures of four and 13. Having travelled from Bengaluru to watch their son bat live in an international match for the first time, Kaladharan and Prema flew back home with happiness etched on their faces.
“I watched his Test debut on TV and I have watched all the matches he has played in Bengaluru. But I was nervous when he approached 100, 200 and then 300… We wanted him to get it because we know he is capable of doing it. He tries to score maximum. In Ranji Trophy he scored 328, now 303 not out in Tests,” he said cutting the numerous calls he was receiving.
“I have been getting a lot of calls but I am not picking them up. Especially during a match, I don’t answer phone calls.”
Kaladharan and Prema didn’t have any time to celebrate the occasion in Chennai as they had to rush back to Bengaluru. “She (pointing to his wife) is a teacher in Chinmaya Vidyalaya and we have already been here for the last three days. I would like to stay here tomorrow but because of her (work), we have to go back,” he said.
Prema was choked for words. “I am very very happy… (I am shedding) tears of joy.”
Sunny’s pat
Former captain Sunil Gavaskar said Nair and KL Rahul’s knocks reminded him of their illustrious predecessors from Karnataka -- Gundappa Vishwanath and Rahul Dravid. “There are two benchmarks of batsmanship for Karnataka. One is Gundappa Vishwanath and another is Rahul Dravid. And what we saw today and yesterday with KL Rahul was a combination of the two. We saw the discipline and temperament of Rahul Dravid and the flair and the strokeplay of Gundappa. There was such a wonderful mix of Rahul and Gundappa in both the innings.”
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