Salman called loading worker Devanand from Thalassery market, to seek blessings for final match from coach

KANNUR: A day before the Ranji Trophy final in Nagpur, Devanand, a vegetable loading worker in Thalassery market received a phone call from Kerala's superstar Salman Nisar. Salman's call was to seek the blessings of the coach who was the first to make him wear pads and send him to play a match.

Devanand, the secretary and coach of Tellicherry Cricket Club for forty years, is thrilled to see his students Salman and Akshay Chandran playing in the Ranji final. It was for Devanand's club that Salman tied pads for the first time in the Under-14s. This 59-year-old can be called the patron of Tellicherry cricket.

Although he works as a loading worker in Thalassery market, Devanand's mind is on the municipal ground. When the season starts, Devanand finishes work by noon and reaches the ground. He takes leave when league matches come.

Devanand is a coach who has passed the O-level examination. He could not pass the Level One examination due to his lack of English knowledge. He was a selector of the Kannur District Cricket Association. In the early days, he did not even have a good pad or bat. Due to poverty at home and reluctance to study, Devanand stopped his studies in the sixth grade. He was in the junior team while studying in the fifth grade. Devanand entered professional cricket in 1986-87. The club he formed with his friends at that time was called Lucky Emblem, which later became the Tellicherry Cricket Club.

Devanand lives in Pinarayi Venduttayi. Wife: Shiny. Children: Ridved Dev (5th grade), Ritwika Dev. (B.Sc. Nursing)

"I work hard from morning for my family. I work on the ground in the evening for the world of sports. The goal is to mold the best players for the country tomorrow and give them to the world of cricket. At least three or four new top players are discovered every year," - Devanand