Krishnamachari Srikkanth
Born 21 December 1959 · Tamil Nadu
Captained India to victory in the 1985 World Championship of Cricket in Australia.
🔔 Add birthday reminderKrishnamachari "Kris" Srikkanth, also known as Cheeka, is a former Indian cricket captain and coach. He also serves as a cricket commentator. He was a hard-hitting opening batter and an occasional right arm offbreak bowler. He has served as a captain of the Indian cricket team and chairman of the men's selection committee later.
✨ A detail that surprised us
In December 1988, Srikkanth became only the second cricketer to score a fifty and take five wickets in the same ODI match, a rare all-round achievement.
1. 🎯 In November 1981, 21-year-old Kris Srikkanth debuted for India in an ODI against England in Ahmedabad, opening the innings alongside Sunil Gavaskar, marking the start of a decade-long international career.
2. 🏆 He was a key player in the 1983 Cricket World Cup, top scoring with 38 runs in the final against the West Indies, helping India secure a historic victory on a bitterly cold day.
3. Between 1986 and 1988, Srikkanth scored all six of his international centuries (two in Tests, four in ODIs), highlighting a peak period of aggressive batting that defined his style.
4. 🎳 In December 1988 against New Zealand, he scored 70 runs and took five wickets in the same ODI, becoming only the second cricketer to achieve the feat of a fifty and five-wicket haul in a single match.
5. In 1989, Srikkanth was appointed captain of the Indian cricket team, leading in four Tests and 13 ODIs before retiring after the 1992 Cricket World Cup, concluding with over 6,000 international runs.
6. Beyond playing, he served as chairman of the Indian men's selection committee and later became a cricket commentator and analyst, influencing team decisions and public perceptions.
7. 🎓 Before cricket dominated his life, he graduated as an electrical engineer from the College of Engineering, Guindy, balancing studies with state-level cricket for Tamil Nadu.
8. ❓ What motivated Srikkanth to transition from a promising engineering career to cricket, and later, to leadership roles like selector and mentor shaping Indian cricket’s future?
Awards & Honours
- 🏅Arjuna Award · 1981
- 🏅Padma Shri · 1983
🔍 One thing most people don't know
Srikkanth captained the first-ever youth Test match for India Under-19 in the 1978–79 season, setting a precedent for youth cricket leadership.
🖼️ Through the Years
📅 The Journey
🗝️ Discoveries
"The selectors should have convinced him. Had I been there I would have spoken to him and asked him to captain India in England. Bring back the glory days to India’s Test cricket and retire."
— Krishnamachari Srikkanth
🎥 Speeches & Recordings
#CricketDiaries | Ep 1 | Kapil Dev, Madan Lal & Srikkanth | 1983 Lord's | Viu India
YouTube📖 Curated Sources
🌱 What changed because of them
Srikkanth's aggressive opening batting helped redefine India's limited-overs approach in the 1980s, contributing directly to India’s 1983 World Cup win. As chairman of selectors, he played a pivotal role in identifying and nurturing talents like Virat Kohli, influencing team composition during a transformative era. His post-retirement work as a commentator and educator using cricket to teach academic subjects demonstrates his impact beyond the field.
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