Raaghu: Speedster of a different kind of Indian cricket team

Bengaluru: Whoever had seen the Indian cricket team practising in Chinnaswamy stadium in Bengaluru before big tournaments would wonder who would be that cricketer wearing the Team India colours and throwing the ball at the star batman of the Indian team, baffling them with the sheer velocity. He is Raghavendra Dwivedi the ‘sidearmer’ of the Indian team.

Fondly called Raaghu but the greats of the Indian cricket, Sachin Tendulkar, Rohit Sharma, Rahul Dravid, Virat Kohli and Hardik Pandya. Raaghu is the sidearmer of the Indian team who can simulate bowling speed of 150 kmph at the batsman sometimes baffling the best of the best. But that pace is equivalent to that of some of the top pacers of West Indies and South Africa if not more.

Hailing from Kumta in Uttara Kannada district in Karnataka Raaghu had a troubled life as youth. Coming from a middle class family he wanted to become a bowler and his family did not support him in this passion as a result he left home and there were times when he had to take shelter in bus shelters and in graveyards. But due to perseverance and grit he got a place in the Dharwad zone cricket team and he quickly ascended the ladder to get 4 wickets in a match.

Following which he also got recommendation from the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA), but alas just when the going was good due to a hand injury he had to forego his career in bowling, but he was hired as a helper of the cricket teams. His extraordinary talent of throwing balls at a great pace was hired as helper of the Cricket teams, his extraordinary talent of throwing balls at a great pace was quickly noticed by great Cricketers of the present times and used his talent for honing their skills to face the pacers of rival teams effectively.

Senior Cricket facilitator and influencer PV Shashikanth told Hans India that “Raaghu is the sidearmer of the Indian Cricket team and uses a sidearm introduced into Cricket by Gary Kirsten, Even without the sidearm, Raaghu’s pace was so fearsome I have seen many batsmen fumble. Pace was not just the only attribute of Raaghu, he could use a special technique to make the ball bounce in a good length delivery, which is a boon to the batsmen,” Shashikanth remarked.

He also coached the Karnataka Ranji team without even expecting so much as a compensation. His talent came to primacy after he BCCI in 2008 and by 2011, had become Team India’s throwdown specialist, a position in which he has worked even to this day.

An anonymous writer appreciated Raghavendra’s role in the success of the Indian team in the T20 World Cup quoted Virat Kohli saying, “This man has a huge role in my success today, but his hard work sometimes goes unnoticed by the world.”