Meet Uttara Kannada's Raghu Raghavendra, Indian Cricket Team's Throwdown Specialist

Once, Raghu spent his days in a bus stand and a graveyard.

The entire nation is still in celebratory mode after Team India’s win at the T20 World Cup. India beat South Africa on June 29 to lift the cup. While the likes of Jasprit Bumrah, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, along with every other member of the team, are being hailed, one man who remains unsung is Raghavendra or simply called Raghu by the Indian team.

Very few fans know about Raghavendra who is a throwdown specialist for the Indian team. Raghu possesses the rare talent of delivering ‘throwdowns’ to players during practice sessions. This aids them in adjusting to the speed and bounce of pitches found in places like Australia and South Africa.

He has been a steadfast member of the team for over a decade, consistently doing everything he can to support the team. He may not have played the game on an international pitch but he is directly responsible for honing the skills of our batsmen, thus contributing to every win by our team.

Raghavendra hails from Kumta in Uttara Kannada district of Karnataka. His father, a traditional school teacher, never fully understood his son’s craze for cricket and wearing the blue jersey someday. He pursued his passion despite his father’s disapproval and he appeared for the trials at Hubli for the Karnataka State Cricket Association( KSCA).

He had no place to stay in Hubli and without any support from his family, spent his days in a bus stand, Hanuman temple and ultimately a graveyard. His resilience paid off when he took 4 wickets in a game for the Dharwad Zone Team and he became a recognised bowler in the region and also got accommodation from the KSCA.

A hand injury ended his short-lived bowling career He later coached the Karnataka Ranji team, working for KSCA without a salary. He joined BCCI in 2008 and by 2011 had become Team India’s throwdown specialist, a position he holds to date.