Before his knee injury, Ajith Ram, Tamil Nadu’s left-arm spinner, proved to be a handful. He played a perfect foil to his skipper, Sai Kishore, and the duo foxed batters with their guile. In fact, Ajith won the V Jagannathan Memorial trophy at the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA) awards last year for being TN’s best bowler in the Ranji Trophy.
His absence from the team was a big blow and this season, Tamil Nadu has failed to qualify for the quarterfinals, winning only one of their seven group games.
Now, Ajith has begun his journey back to the team. He is bowling at the MRF Pace Foundation with his team, Globe Trotters. “It feels good to be back and bowl and I’m very grateful to God. Slowly, I am getting back to playing the sport I love the most. Even though it will take more time to bowl at 100 per cent of my ability, I don’t want to rush in and bowl flat out,” Ajith told CE.
Talking about the knee injury he suffered in the Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL) last year, he shared, “I tore my Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) and my lateral meniscus in the knee. I had a surgery in Mumbai and underwent rehabilitation at the TNCA Academy with physiotherapist Nandakumar and strength trainer Arun Kumar, who previously trained the Ranji Trophy team. It took me seven months to progress to my bowling, and I’m yet to get back fully. But I am feeling good and am keen to get back my rhythm.”
Ajith is taking it one ball at a time. “The recovery process has been long. I haven’t bowled long spells yet, but (I am) getting back to it (rhythm). I haven’t played any games,” he admitted, adding that he feels that he can be ready by June this year, in time for the next season.
Dealing with an injury is never easy, and like any other sportsperson Ajith was also frustrated about not being able to play. “I was emotionally and mentally drained after the injury, and I felt very low. But it happens in sports, and I’m preparing to do well once I’m back,” he said, crediting his family for supporting him during this time.
Ajith also thanked Nandakumar and Arun Kumar, who helped him in rehab. “I always have my physio and trainer pushing me and motivating me. This helped me get out of the depressed state of mind and work each day towards my recovery,” he said, grateful to the MRF Pace Academy and the state’s Ranji coach, M Senthilnathan for his help. “Senthil sir has always supported me and he believes in me, which has helped me do well all these days. He’s been very helpful with my bowling, too. Meanwhile, MRF as a company has always backed me, and has supported me a lot in this tough phase of my career.”
Looking forward to joining the team soon, Ajith believes that Tamil Nadu will bounce back next season. “We have a great team with a great set of guys doing well. I’m very excited to play for the state again,” he concluded.