How my dad discovered the talented schoolboy who went on to become a cricket legend and new BCCI chief Roger Binny

Growing up with a father who was a sports journalist guaranteed an everyday adventure. I learned a lot during the journey we had together.

Watching my dad covering cricket matches at the Karnataka State Cricket Association or commentating for All India Radio on the State Athletic Championships at the Kanteerava Stadium taught me to think like a journalist at a very young age.

Through him, I was exposed to a variety of sports and I learned about several greats of Indian sports – Kenny Powell, the sprint king, hockey wizard Jude Felix and Roger Binny, who was making big waves in school’s cricket.

When my Dad, who was the long-serving Sports Editor of the Deccan Herald in Bangalore, passed away he left behind a legacy and stories told and untold.

One of which included discovering a young Roger from St. Germain’s High School in Bangalore, and helping highlight his talent through his weekly column, Straight From The Shoulder.

Wherever my dad is today, I’m sure he must be a happy man, knowing that Roger has reached the pinnacle of his career with his appointment to the coveted position of President of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

Roger also made history of sorts as the first Anglo-Indian (people of mixed ancestry) to take up the role. He was following up on his notable appointment as an Indian cricket selector and President of the KSCA.

I too closely followed Roger’s blooming career from State hockey player and javelin throw record breaker to World Cup-winning cricketer and affluent sports administrator.

In the old days in Bangalore, a small hamlet of friendly people and breathtaking greener, everybody knew each other.

By the time he had decided that cricket was his calling, Roger was a rapidly emerging local celebrity. When you drove past the Binny family home in Benson Town, you always told your companion that ‘this is where Roger lives.’ That’s how well-known he was.

It was well documented that, even at a young age, Roger was prepared to move heaven and earth to get what he wanted in life. He stopped for nothing, scarifying his spare time to refine his cricketing skills. He would wake up up each day at 5 am to practice batting, hitting a cricket ball wrapped in an old sock and hanging from a tree in his garden on Bore Bank Road, adjacent to the railway lines that cut through the city.

For most of his youth, Roger was coached by the legendary Keki Tarapore, who was responsible for also teaching some of Karnataka’s top players including Syed Kirmani and Rahul Dravid.

Keki, who was never seen with his trademark wide-brimmed white cricket hard, poured countless hours into coaching his kids, including Roger. He taught them everything he knew.

It’s incredibly hard work being a coach but a very rewarding job when you discover that all the knowledge, skills, wisdom, and inspiration that you impart to the student impacts their lives, as it has in the case of Roger Binny.