From a young boy to an international star — This is the story of former India cricketer Murali Vijay, who took the stage at the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association’s (TNCA) 94th annual day as the chief guest and shared his journey.
Speaking at the event, where TNCA felicitated awards and scholarships for performers across age-groups from the 2025-26 season, Vijay recalled his interactions with WV Raman, his coach in the early stages of his career, and looking up to L Balaji for inspiration. “His (Raman) impact on my life was phenomenal. He taught us that there were no shortcuts or special privileges. There is only one way to reach the top,” narrated Vijay, adding, “Lakshmipathy Balaji, at that time, was my idol. Both of us came from a tennis-ball cricket background. Our life stories were very similar. Neither of our parents were deeply involved in cricket. Both of us had the passion and determination to go out there and play. He is like a dear brother to me.”
Vijay also spoke about some of his teammates including S Badrinath, his first Ranji captain, Sridharan Sriram, and former India cricketers R Ashwin and Dinesh Karthik. He advised the players to be smart and insisted that success would follow them if they worked hard. He also pointed out that there was definitely speed in the game today and asked the youngsters to understand that and play accordingly.
TNCA president TJ Srinivasaraj welcomed the gathering and secretary U Bhagwandas Rao presented the annual report. R Rangarajan, treasurer proposed a vote of thanks at the event where MRC A team won the Senior Division league and was awarded the Raja of Palayampatti shield, while Globe Trotters who were the runner-up were presented the SR Jagannathan Trophy.
Scholarships & Endowments
Govinth G (T Srinivasaraghavan Memorial Scholarship), Vineeth VK (J Subbuswamy Memorial Scholarship), Kishore BK (Bhatt Memorial Scholarship), Karthick Manikandan VS (SK Gurunathan Memorial Scholarship), Kiran Karthikeyan (SV Kumaraswamy Scholarship), Sunny Sandhu (N Vittal Scholarship), Sachin Rathi (MV Kasturirangan Endowment), Manav Parakh (S Sriraman Endowment), Khush Bardia P (Mohan Kumaramangalam Scholarship), Amith Sathvik VP (MA Chidambaram & Balasubramaniam Endowment), Arya Ganesh (YMA Golden Jubilee Scholarship), Jayant RK (P Seshadri Endowment), Madhava Prasad KTA (Nimmagadda Viswanatha Memorial Endowment), Hemchudeshan J (Bhimannapet Recreation Club Silver Jubilee Endowment), Vasudhasri SD (SV Kumaraswamy Endowment Scholarship), Bharath M (Smt Ananda Ramanathan Memorial Scholarship), Sandeep B (RT Parthasarathy Scholarship), Abhinav R (Dr VNC Rao Endowment), Pooli Chelladurai Raja D (B Somasundaram Endowment), Abhinav K (PN Krishnan Endowment), Deeksha B (S Sriraman Endowment - Children of TNCA Staff), Pranav Ragavendra RD (UMR-Rao Endowment), Pavish S (Raman Memorial Fund), Vimal Khumar R (PC Ramudu Endowment), Abhishek S (Easwari Subramanian Endowment), Bharath M (ACC/VAP Endowment), Dhanvanth Anamangad S (R Mrithyanjan Endowment), Shri Dharun ST (MJ Gopalan Endowment), Kabilan J (CB Selva Kumar Endowment), Shavin V (N Gautham Memorial Award), Jasmine M (SR Mandlam & Rajam Mandlam Endowment), Mohamed Ali S (CB Sankara Iyer & Mrs Kokilam Sankara Iyer Endowment), Arya Ganesh (R Raghavan Endowment), Kamalini G (RC Vasanth Kumar Endowment).
V Pattabhiraman Endowment Prizes & SRJ Awards: Mohamed Saafir, Kiranraj Yadav S, Akshadh Rao B, Bharath M, Shifa Thaslima (Raja of Pudukkottai Prizes), Sanjith A (AF Wensley Prize), Rishi K (K Kuruvilla Prize), Sandeep B (V Pattabhiraman Prize), Varsha RS (GR Prasad Prize), Sanjay Balaji BL (Ghulam Ahmed Prize), Shavin V (SRJ Best Cricketer - City), Khush Bardia P (SRJ Best Cricketer - Districts), Vineeth VK (SRJ Best Performer - Under-19).
Awards for match officials: K Manoharan (Maximum no. of matches as an umpire in 2025-2026), Akshay Srinicasan (Emerging Umpire of the Year), Venkatesh Sundar (Scorer of the Year), Mathan A (Emerging Scorer of the Year).
