San Thome School’s cricket coach B. Srinivasa Rao signed off in style. He bid goodbye soon after the school’s under-16 team won the annual Tamil Nadu Cricket Association’s tourney for city schools.
“It was time to look for bigger challenges and higher income,’ said the 49-year-old resident of P. S. Sivaswamy Salai. Mylapore.
Rao is already in the panel of coaches contracted by the TNCA Cricket Academy and gets assignments through the year.
And he is happy San Thome School’s fortunes are on the rise. Last weekend, the team won the inaugural Junior Super Kings T20 tourney convincingly.
“It made me look back at times when San Thome was reigning the school cricket scene and we coached boys who went on to don India colours,” he says.
The ‘boys’ included T. Kumaran, Aashish Kapoor, Hemang Badani and Sadagopan Ramesh.
Rao joined San Thome as coach in the 80s, remained here for many years and went on to coach at Kesari and St. Michael’s before returning to San Thome.
“Coaching does not pay that much so I also did events and stuff,” he says.
But he is proud that he and his team of trainers has kept San Thome on top of the heap at school-level cricket.
With cricket at the junior level competitive and widespread, this genial man can have his pick.
Contact him at 9841041985.
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Rao as i fondly remember.A very simple man,who devoted his time and energy for sake of the students.A true gentleman and a accomplished coach.
Indeed it is a loss to Santhome to loose him as a coach, but the good part is he has his second in line Mr.Shanmugam who can compensate the loss.
To share my views about Rao, he is so very dedicated and passionate about coaching, I have seen other team fear to play against santhome and I know the reason once I had my son join the school.
Heartiest wishes for Rao for all the good work he has done for santhome and now his services are available for entire Tamil Nadu.