HYDERABAD: An admirable batsman, courageous captain and a great friend -- that’s how I would remember MV Sridhar. It’s shocking to know he is no more. Sridhar and I go back a long way. He was quite a character -- on and off field. He was one of those who made the dressing room a lively place. Back in those days, train travels used to be tedious, but Sridhar was among those who made it enjoyable.
As a batsman, Sridhar was as good as one you came across in domestic cricket those days, especially on turning tracks. When VVS Laxman was playing for Hyderabad, responsibility of scoring runs was shared. But after Laxman got into the India team, Sridhar took it upon himself. Ability, skill and temperament apart, it was the sense of responsibility that stood out. He gave an impression that it was his duty, which had a positive effect on the team.
Sridhar did have regrets for not making it to the Indian team or even the Rest of the India team, but those talks came up only in private discussions. On the field, Sridhar was always focussed on doing the job for his team. Even if he was hurt, it never showed in the way he went about his job. Not many can do this.
While most of the talk about ‘Sridhar the cricketer’ centres around his batting.
He was also a shrewd captain. An educated and qualified person, he was excellent in communicating and managing people. During our times, Hyderabad had spinners like Arshad Ayub, Kanwaljeet Singh and myself. It was never easy to decide who to leave out. Even if all three played, there was a chance that one might get under-bowled.
Sridhar’s ability to deal with people made sure there was never any friction. He made it a point to talk to all concerned so that there was no room for misunderstanding. This is easier said than done and the way he handled things almost always made it certain that problems or misgivings were nipped in the bud.Sridhar often said that he wanted to stay involved with the game after his playing days and that’s what he did.
As a global vice-president of Satyam Computers, he was a person of proven man-management skills.
Reflections of that expertise were evident in what he did in various roles after retiring from cricket. We often asked him why stuck to cricket, considering that he had a degree in medicine, which would probably have given him a more rewarding career. His reply was consistent and emphatic. “Cricket,” he said, “teaches me everything I need, and makes me ready to face the other challenges in life.”You lived by those words, my friend. We will miss you.(MV Sridhar’s contemporary in the Hyderabad team, Venkatapathy Raju played 28 Tests and 53 ODIs.)