CHENNAI: Jolly Rovers Club run by The Sanmar Group won the TNCA First Division title and regained the prestigious Rajah of Palayampatti Shield which is a symbol of pride in Tamil Nadu cricket. They bagged 50 points from 11 league games and was placed first as there were no knock-out matches this season. With 43 points, Nelson SC bagged the second spot.
It was indeed a creditable show by one of the most successful teams in the history of the TNCA First Division league. After all, this was Jolly Rovers 22nd title triumph. What makes it all the more commendable is the fact that Jolly Rovers could manage to field a good fighting unit at a time when corporates with deep pockets vie with one another to sign the best players in the state. Tamil Nadu opening batter Sai Sudarshan and spinner Mohan Prasath were the outstanding performers.
Skipper Kaushik Gandhi was pleased with his team’s performance. “It’s always a special feeling to win a title. It’s a sweet feeling when we have a trophy to show for all the work we have put in throughout the season. I will say that consistency in doing the right things and being in the right habits for prolonged periods of time has helped us to bag the title,” said an elated Kaushik.
The IIT-Chemplast ground in the sprawling IIT campus at Guindy is the home of Jolly Rovers. But with the scarcity of good quality turf wickets that could last for three days and with some new teams in the league having their ‘home’ grounds far away from the city, players need to adapt to different conditions. Matches are held at SSN college, Wahe Guru grounds, SRM, VB Nest, which are scattered at various places. To reach some grounds one may have to drive a couple of hours early in the morning.
“During the last few seasons we have struggled sometimes playing outside (grounds). But I think we coped well this year to the demands and changes in the conditions of the pitch and ground. And it was a conscious effort to do well outside our home too. Our team’s strength is definitely that we are very highly skilled individuals for the league level, but what also helped us was that we played collectively as a unit and everyone contributed to the best of their abilities,” said Kaushik, the opening batsman.
Sai Sudarshan — who had a wonderful season for Tamil Nadu, excelling in all the three-formats — scored more than 1,000 runs for Jolly Rovers. He had played a big role in Rovers’ success. “I don’t think Sai Sudarshan would have stopped with 1,000 runs if not for the few games he missed out in the later half of the season and a few turners we played on.
He is someone who can easily score 1,500-1,600 runs a season if he had not missed any games. I think everyone stepped up and chipped in when things were required out of them, but a special mention for Mohan Prasath because this was his first year (with us) and I thought he settled very well and very quickly and took up responsibilities well. Also a few guys like Ram Arvind, Sonu Yadav really stood up for us this year.” shared Kaushik.
Teams usually play for safety and it is rare to see an out-right win against two quality sides. “All games pose different kinds of challenges, but I think beating Vijay CC outright was a special achievement because I don’t think it happens often,” he said, thanking all the coaches and the team owners for their support in winning the title.
Keeping up the stride
One of the most successful teams in the history of the TNCA First Division league, this was Jolly Rovers’ 22nd title triumph. They could manage to field a good fighting unit at a time when corporates vie to sign the best players in the state.