In the first week of March 2024, Ravichandran Ashwin was strolling through the narrow, chilly lanes of Dharamshala, with the mighty Himalayas in the backdrop, reminiscing a peak scaled by not many Indian cricketers. Ashwin joined the elite club of cricketers who played 100 Test matches for India, only the 14th player to do so, and the first one from Tamil Nadu.
In the 92-year Test history of Indian cricket, 26 others from the state have represented the country but none has remained at the top for as long as Ashwin.
Understandably, Ashwin was emotional when asked what it meant for someone from this part of the country to achieve what he has. “It is an experience that I would like to share with many more that come from my part of the country,” he said, adding, “There is a lot of talent out there. Make no mistake about the abilities those people had in the past or of those who will play in the future. I wish and hope that many more come from this part of the country and go on to achieve even better things than I have.”
‘Ping’ing on to victory
Indeed, there is no exaggeration about the sporting talent in the state. And it is not just limited to cricket. If Ashwin is a stalwart in cricket, in A Sharath Kamal, Tamil Nadu has a table-tennis superstar. The 42-year-old, who made his Olympic debut in Athens in 2004, is still India’s top-tier table tennis player and has won multiple Commonwealth Games and Asian Games medals.
After over two decades of toiling, he will be having one last go at the eternal glory that has eluded him in Paris in 2024.
“This will be my last Olympics,” Sharath Kamal told this daily before leaving for Singapore for a WTT event. "We see big potential there; win a round and you are in the quarterfinals. You never know in the quarterfinals. On your day, anything can happen. An upset and you are in with a chance,” he added. Along with Sharath Kamal, who is set to become one of the very few five-time Olympians from India, G Sathiyan will also be looking to bring laurels to the state and the country. The 31-year-old, another CWG and Asiad medallist, took to table tennis at the age of five, and couldn’t put the paddle down. Although he studied engineering, adhering to his parent’s wishes, Sathiyan’s true love for table tennis never wavered. In Paris, he will be eyeing the top honour in the mixed doubles with Manika Batra.
Heavyweights lift TN to glory
The folklore and achievements of Tamil Nadu’s athletes are not just restricted to cricket fields and TT tables. Sathish Sivalingam, son of an ex-serviceman from Sathuvachari, Vellore, is a renowned weightlifter who has won gold medals in Commonwealth Games and Commonwealth Championships. He won gold in both 2014 and 2018 CWG.
Now, taking forward Sathish’s legacy is N Ajith. Hailing from the same village as Sathish, Ajith won gold in the 73kg category in the 2022 national championships. He missed the ticket to the 2022 CWG and worked hard to make a comeback and retain his national championship medal. Thereon, Ajith carried the momentum to win gold in the Commonwealth Weightlifting Championships. Although he did not make a mark in the Asian Championships, Ajith has shown enough promise to come back stronger.
On track, on the track
Then there is Subedar Arokia Rajeev who has brought laurels to the state on the track. The 32-year-old from Tiruchy began as a long-jumper before taking to running. Rajiv, who faced many adversities early in life, joined the army in 2011 and eventually went on to win the 400m bronze in the 2014 Asiad, 400m silver and the 4*400m gold in the 2017 Asian Championships.
Indumathi Kathiresan, a police sub-inspector during the pandemic, donned a new hat on the field as she went on to represent the country in football.
The midfielder’s journey to become a footballer and pursue her passion for the sport in itself is an inspiration. From Indumathi and Rajiv to Ajith, Sathiyan, Sharath and Ashwin, every single athlete has strived hard, toiling for years to bring glory to the state. And these are just a handful of examples. As Ashwin said, there is so much sporting talent in the state and with the fast-changing landscape, things are going to get only better for sports in Tamil Nadu.