Winning three senior division titles on the trot didn’t come easy for Jolly Rovers Cricket Club. As they edged past Vijay CC to clinch the Raja of Palayampatti Shield recently, based on the 12-run first innings lead, Jolly Rovers achieved just that.
This victory and consistency is a result of a culture that revolves around work ethic and self improvement. In fact, it has played a crucial role in producing elite athletes like B Sai Sudarshan, Sandeep Warrier, Manimaran Siddarth, Baba Aparajith and Baba Indrajith. “We have a welcoming culture here, where players not part of the state team come here and refine their abilities,” says captain Indrajith.
This victory tastes sweeter for Indrajith considering the obstacles that they overcame. “We had close to six injuries in the team and departures of star names to IPL and other commitments,” he says. “Youngsters, especially R Vimal Kumar (1,200 runs) turned up with a plethora of runs, and that has factored in our win.”
Despite the injury-lay up, Indrajith played his part by instilling patience among the boys. “But credits to them, it’s their winning mentality that put us through and earned us the third title,” he notes.
Although Indrajith came up with a gritty 133 run knock, it was his catch to dismiss southpaw Vignesh P, who was putting up a strong stand for Vijay CC, that turned the match. “It was relieving. That catch was more instinctive. We had toiled hot in the hot summer sun, and that is why it was relieving,” he says.
Aparajith, who is coming fresh off the Ranji Trophy final for Kerala, too, did well with the ball in addition to playing anchor to his brother’s magnificent knock. His three-wicket return at the final proved to be decisive in clinching the title. "Playing for the team (Jolly Rovers) means so much, especially with its historical significance. With the youngsters, they have grown at least 15-20 per cent," he says.
Indrajith has some ideas for the club. He says, “(I want to)maintain the legacy of the club by helping the youngsters and helping produce some quality cricketers. It is important to keep this culture.”
Aparajith sang from the same hymn sheet. “We want to do what we are already doing well. So, whatever things we are doing. We have to keep doing it. Keep continuing what we do. Try to improve every year. Don’t set a specific goal. We have already won because we are doing well. So, we have to keep doing that. I think there are a lot of upcoming cricketers. But they are all working really hard. They are looking to play in the Ranji Trophy. So, the motivation is very high. If you have the right core of people, the team will grow,” Aparajith says, adding, “The youngsters are looking to play for Ranji Trophy and India. There are a lot of people like that. But I can clearly say that Vimal Kumar— with the he kind of performance, and getting 1200 runs — definitely, he is looking to go up. I think he is locking the doors really hard for the state team.”