Over to commentator, L S

V. RAMNARAYAN

"I don't want to be a wishy-washy journalist or commentator. I am going to express my views frankly," said the boyish looking, slightly built former Test cricketer when he was complimented for his bold column 'Third Eye" in , a city portal website.

In a surprising development, 35-year-old L. Sivaramakrishnan has in recent times emerged as an articulate and confident cricket critic both in cyberspace and on television - surprising because the leg spinner gives the impression of being soft spoken and reserved. His induction into the Worldtel panel of commentators for the Dhaka Test between India and Bangladesh has meant that he is quite possibly the youngest commentator in the world at that level. And if his immaculate performance in that match is any indicator, he seems destined to stay there for years to come.

The opportunity to write a column first came about when K Srikkanth invited 'LS' to contribute to his site krishsrikkanth.com because 'LS' has been known in cricket circles as a thoughtful observer of the game, known to express himself clearly even as a 16 year old making his first appearance in the Chennai's first division league.

An alumnus of Vidya Mandir, Mylapore, Chennai, Siva revelled in the open, encouraging atmosphere there and developed into a precociously cerebral type of player who could analyse the game and dissect matches like a seasoned campaigner. His prodigious talent as a leg spinner pitchforked him into international cricket in his seventeenth year, which meant that he was so busy touring and competing in different parts of the world, he did not get to enter the portals of a college - at least for academic purposes! (Mark Mascarenhas, the Worldtel chief refused to believe LS when he informed him he had completed his bachelor's degree through a correspondence course).

Though the big break on television was a recent occurrence, LS has been around as a Doordarshan commentator for more than a year, covering Ranji Trophy and other first class games. At that level of cricket, he brought a touch of class to the proceedings with his clear diction and painstaking homework which became evident whenever he succeeded in camouflaging poor or inappropriate visuals or graphics with brilliant on the spot improvisations. On almost every appearance, he managed to outperform his fellows on the panel.

From the start of the current cricket season, LS has been following the fortunes of the Tamil Nadu team through his website column. Besides commenting on the day's happenings, his despatches also contain valuable insights into the cricketing and psychological attributes of individual players. His words of advice to the team management is worth taking seriously as they are born of an insider's knowledge for not only has Siva played for Tamil Nadu in the past, he is still active in the local league enabling him to get a very close look at the happenings and personalities concerned.

The news of his selection as Worldtel commentator came from Ravi Shastri, an old friend, teammate and captain under whom he played for young India in the Eighties. And Shastri was at hand when the former leg spinner landed at Dhaka to encourage him and provide wise counsel. "Take one step at a time", he advised but Siva was so impressive he went from speaking during intervals on the first day gradually to doing the pitch report on the last two days, all by himself on the last day. This is akin to moving up the batting order from the lower middle order to the opening slot within a span of five days, but LS made the transition smoothly, thanks to the kindness and support he received from all his colleagues - Tony Greig, Ian Chappell, Michael Holding and Ravi Shastri.

Chappell told him, "You speak good English, your knowledge of the game is obvious, so you've made a good start. But if you want to become an excellent commentator, remember you must approach your work as a job to be done, not as some side activity." The former Australian captain was quick to tell the youngster not to describe a va visual when he once told viewers that what they were watching was a cover drive. "Great shot or superb footwork," is okay but not "Look at that cover drive", he was gently advised. Tony Greig went out of the way to make him feel comfortable when he had to make a solo appearance before the camera, briefing him in advance on the lead-up he was going to provide.

The debutant was amazed by the homework the commentators did and their sense of timing and anticipation. Example: Tony Greig calling for stats and graphics on the top ten scorers in Tests and ODIs during a dull phase of the match and spending considerable time on that aspect rather than focus too hard on the events on the ground.

There is much camaraderie and good-natured leg pulling in the commentary box. A top example that proved prophetic was this comment by Ian Chappell to Michael Holding: "Lucky you! You will get paid five days' wages in the Brisbane Test for two days' work," referring to West Indies' brittle batting. Holding's retort: "Don't call yourselves world champions until you beat every opponent in their own country regularly as we did under Clive Lloyd."

In such a happy atmosphere, Sivaramakrishnan has settled down quickly and looks forward confidently to a long innings in the commentary box. Judging by the excellence of his debut, there doesn't seem to be any doubt about that prospect.

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