He has the world's greatest private collection of cricket memorabilia

Srikantan Ramamurthy is famous for possessing the world's greatest private collection of cricket memorabilia across several continents. He was also a close friend of the late Sir Donald Bradman.

This writer met Ramamurthy at the airport as soon as he landed in Mumbai from Australia. He was on his way to the Cricket Club of India to meet his old friend Vasant Raiji.

Ramamurthy was born in the south Indian city of Coimbatore and completed his mechanical engineering degree from the Madras University. His father was a sportsman who played tennis, billiards, snooker, hockey and soccer. Initially he played little cricket but getting more interested in the game, Ramamurthy played in the league in North Wales and got into Toronto's best grade before moving to South Australia. He has represented Central Whyalla in South Australia.

Ramamurthy says it took him almost 50 years to compile his entire collection of cricket memorabilia, currently valued at $400,000. His first autograph was of the Indian Test cricketer Polly Umrigar during the 1949 Test match at the Chepauk Stadium in Madras (Chennai) at the age of nine.

Ramamurthy has a tough time in pursuing his main hobby these days. There are too many tours and too many players who do not respect collectors like him. "The manner in which they sign it is little more than a scribble," he says. "Ian Botham scribbles, Imran Khan too. All you see is the "I" and a squiggle."

Ramamurthy started researching into the names and addresses of pre-1921 Test players still living and started to write at the rate of 20 to 30 letters a week. Several months later, replies started pouring in, in large numbers, mainly with signed photos and other items that were available.

During those years, from 1954, Ramamurthy developed a close pen friendship with 90-year-old Sir Pelham Warner who captained England in the early years of the 20th century and played with Lord Harris and Lord Hawke. Other greats with whom he corresponded were F. Woolley, H. Sutcliffe (for 15 years), JB Hobbs, SF Barnes, FL Fane, PM Hornibrook, and RJA Massie (son of HH Massie who played in the 1880 Ashes Test as an opener). By 1963, Ramamurthy had amassed a fine cricket collection by way of autographs, signed photos, team sheets and letters.

Ramamurthy went to Australia in 1964 to work, leaving behind all his collection in his home in India with the exception of a handful of items. When he returned to India after three years, he was shocked to discover that his entire collection had ended up in a local rubbish shop a year before, during renovations at home. These were never to be seen again. Ramamurthy says "My mother did not know they were irreplaceable and had mixed them up with unwanted papers and medical journals of my father. I have still not forgiven my mother".

Ramamurthy started his collection from scratch in 1967 with no less enthusiasm and was determined to do it all over again, even though several lost items could never be replaced. Even in the late 60's and 70's there were only 20 to 30 collectors around the world. Ramamurthy was fortunate in getting a lot of support from old cricketers in Australia.

Cricketers whom Ramamurthy got to know personally were Ben Barnett, EL McCormick, JM Gregory and Bill Howell. They helped him to add considerably to his collection, particularly some priceless souvenirs from the period 1870 to 1930. This helped him to fill gaps and build the numbers.

The family of the great Victor Trumper were close friends of Ramamurthy, who always stayed at their Sydney home. The Trumpers helped him with all the remaining personal items of Trumper to build his collection.

By 1996, Ramamurthy had all but a handful of Australian and England Test cricketers from 1877 to 1995. These were in the form of signed photos, team sheets, group signed photos, caps, blazers, ties, bats, balls, signed dinner cards etc.

Ramamurthy met Bradman for the first time in 1964. He developed a very close friendship with him and Lady Bradman met his wife Jaya and daughter Sujini and showed a great deal of love and friendship. His luckiest moment came when Sir Donald and Lady Bradman had dinner at his house in 1986. A regular visitor to Bradman's place, Ramamurthy narrated one of his reminiscences at the Bradman residence. "Having made many visits to their place and spent a lot of time in his lounge full of his great memorabilia, I realised how lucky I was. Because when my good friend Ashley Mallett narrated to me that when he visited Sir Don Bradman with his son, Sir Donald signed an autograph at the outside gate before saying good bye. Sir Don continued to give his love and affection to me and my family till the end."

When Sunil Gavaskar came to Adelaide in 1980 and 1985, Ramamurthy had the great honour of taking him to meet Sir Donald at his home. Ramamurthy was also the official photographer for 1985 Indian team which met Sir Don, each player shaking the great man's hands.

In 1966, Ramamurthy met the great Bill Ponsford in Melbourne and spent a day with him. Bert Oldfield and his wife Ruth had been a great inspiration helping him with his collection and in 1964 at Sydney entertained him like an Indian prince.

Ramamurthy corresponded with 93-year-old EM Grace (son of WG Grace's brother EM). He also spent hours with Sir Len Hutton, Colin Cowdrey and GO Allen. He also corresponded for two years with SF Barnes. According to Ramamurthy, "Barnes at 92 years had the most artistic hand writing and a very steady hand". Ramamurthy was also a taxi driver for the great Denis Compton when he was in Adelaide in 1997.

Ramamurthy meeting Harold Larwood in 1980 was a great moment, Victor Trumper's nephew Charlie took him to Larwood's house and made the introductions. Larwood asked Ramamurthy to call him "Harold" and told him about his career in India while working for the Maharajah of Patiala in the early 30s along with his room mate who answered by the name of Wilfred Rhodes.

Ramamurthy also recalled his meeting with CE Pellew who played in 1914, "We used to meet regularly and once when he came to my house at Whyalla to stay. 'Nip' Pellew had played with Clem Hill, Victor Trumper and had coached Ian and Greg Chappell in the 70's and could tell me of the comparison of players, conditions, styles and other details".

Ramamurthy also spent many days with Australian fast bowler WJ Whitty who played 13 times against Trumper and got him out 12 times. He played from 1907 to 1912. As an 84-year-old man living on a huge property in Millicant in South Australia, Whitty showed him his personal cricket collection which he started during Trumper's time, a collection second to none. Ultimately, Ramamurthy ended with several of these treasures. On Ramamurthy's request at the age of 84, Whitty took his usual run up and bowled a ball with his usual delivery like he did in 1909 against England. Ramamurthy was absolutely thrilled.

Joe Darling's family helped Ramamurthy in collecting the cabinet signed photos of the entire 1899 Australian team to England - a very rare memorabilia.

Ramamurthy has had dinners with Bill O'Reilly and HL Hendry to Ajit Agarkar and Amol Muzumdar and others, "I could go on detailing my great moments but I shall save it for another day," he said before signing off.