Vidyut Sivaramakrishnan

The son of Venkataraman Sivaramakrishnan, the former Tamil Nadu opening batsman, Vidyut entered the record books in his second domestic season itself - his 122-ball 115 against Delhi in Chennai was the first century by a No.11 in Ranji Trophy history. Like Ravi Shastri did in his Test career, Vidyut moved up the order and eventually became an opener. He was initially regarded as a bowling allrounder - impressing as a left-arm spinner at the Under-19 levels - and had an excellent time during the U-19 home series against England in 2000-01, when he managed 17 wickets in three Tests, including an 8 for 38 in Mumbai.

However, his bowling gradually slipped and he found himself in the Tamil Nadu team more as a specialist batsman. His first-class career included a stint with Haryana in 2001-02. He gained national recognition when he walked out to open with Sachin Tendulkar in the 2005 Challenger Trophy final in Mohali, slamming 87 in a match-winning effort. However, in the seasons that followed, he struggled to find a regular place in the Tamil Nadu Ranji team, overlooked in favour of a fresh bunch of openers. He got an opportunity to rubs shoulders with leading international stars when he was picked for the Chennai Super Kings in the inaugural IPL.
Kanishkaa Balachandran April 2008