A sibling revelry for Baba twins
Baba Indrajith and Baba Aparajith (left) opt for some extra practice on the eve of Tamil Nadu’s Ranji Trophy match against the Railways.
Most identical twins have their own sets of stories about mistaken identities. And in certain instances parents too face problems, leading to even more confusion, as was in the case of Baba Aparajith and Baba Indrajith.
The 21-year-olds turn out for Tamil Nadu in domestic cricket and while they are creating their own identities with recent accomplishments, their growing up years was all about confusion, which was always not quite their doing.
One story goes back to a match in Hyderabad when their parents were sitting beside the scorer to help him identity who’s who. But even they couldn’t do that, adding to more confusion and creating a mess of the entire scorecard.
“I was sitting with both their mom and dad, and the scorer was seated next to us. It got so confusing identifying them that scoring became difficult,” recalls S Balaji, the coach who has been grooming the Baba twins since they were 11. Both are right-handers, who are equally handy with the ball. And while they are still difficult to distinguish, of late they have started charting their own course with their performances.
While Aparajith rose to fame following his heroics with the 2012 Under-19 World Cup winning squad and his performances for the ‘A’ teams, the elder twin Indrajith is creating space for himself with performances in the domestic circuit.
Indrajith announced his arrival with a brilliant 2014/15 Ranji Trophy season. The right-hander scored an impressive 713 runs at an average of 44.56, and most of his knocks came lower down the order, with only the tail for company.
“Last year was a good season for me and if I can do the same this year, I think I will do justice to my game. If I can achieve more, it’ll be really good. I’m on the right path, it’s just that I need the runs coming,” says Indrajith. Just two seasons old, Indrajith is taking giant strides. The 21-year-old was appointed the vice-captain of the team this season, and even led them in the absence of Abhinav Mukund in a dramatic Ranji Trophy match against Mumbai.
“Yes, everything is happening quickly but I have always loved captaincy. Even the last game (against Mumbai) was so close, such a pressure situation. The result didn’t go our way but I enjoyed the whole game,” says Indrajith, who has led sides in the TNCA league and U-14, U-16 age groups.
Success and fame, however, hasn’t come easy for Indrajith as the all-rounder had to wait for his share of the pie. While Aparajith played the U-19 World Cup, it was a case of “so near yet so far” for his twin brother, who missed the final cut.
“Indrajith was scoring for the U-19s but failed to make the squad. He was, as I remember, part of the final 20s but couldn’t make it to the squad. It was a difficult time. The parents left it to me to deal with the situation since their one kid made the cut and other missed out,” recalls Balaji. “It took me three-four lunch and practice sessions with Indrajith to get everything right. I knew what was to be done to help him divert his mind.”
Missing the U-19 World Cup triggered mixed emotions for Indrajith, who was happy for his brother but wanted to get that experience early in his cricketing journey.
“It was not easy. It was not that he (Aparajith) was playing and I was not playing. When your brother goes abroad, plays matches and gets so much experience, you also want to be there. I am mature enough to understand that we both are twins but can’t play everything at the same time. Sometimes I might play first, he might play second. We both are different cricketers, we should see it that way,” says Indrajith.
Cut to the present and the brothers are doing a little backyard drill in the nets — giving each other throwdowns — ahead of Tamil Nadu’s Ranji fixture against Railways, starting Friday. Is it a routine affair? Indrajith says. “Not everyday. There are times he wants a little feel of batting after the session, so I help him out. We know each other pretty well so get to discuss things during throwdowns.”
Cricket discussions are not restricted to the nets. For the Baba twins, conversations at the dinner table too revolve around cricket. But all that will stop once they take the field at the Karnail Singh Stadium. Then performance will be the key. They will continue to confuse many, but would try to stand apart with their respective skill-sets in the middle.
