Adithya Ashok talks fondly of the tattoo in Tamil on his right forearm. “It ties me to India,” says Black Caps’ latest recruit of Indian origin.
“En vazhi? Thani vazhi.” The 20-year-old is quick to translate it for us, “My way is a unique way–it is quite a famous Rajinikanth quote from a movie. There's a bit of a connection to where I'm from…and to have it scripted on my body…I think that means quite a lot to me.”
Adithya, who goes by Adi, received his maiden call up for the senior national team last week, when he was named in the squad for the three-match T20 series in the United Arab Emirates in August.
He joins an illustrious list of Kiwi-Indians who have played for the Black Caps, including cricketers Ish Sodhi, Rachin Ravindra, Dipak Patel, Jeetan Patel and Jeet Raval among others.
The leg spinning all-rounder from Suburbs New Lynn Cricket Club, who plays for Auckland, exploded onto the scene after a couple of match-turning spells for the Aces in Super Smash, in which he picked seven wickets.
Only in his second year in professional cricket, Adi says the news of his selection in the national team took him by surprise. "It was awesome,” he told The Indian Weekender from England, where he is playing for the Colchester & East Essex Cricket Club.
“It was a pretty special moment and came as a complete surprise. The best thing about it is that it was not something I was massively searching for just yet. My focus has been purely on trying to get better every day.
“And if I can do that, it will hold me in good stead wherever I go. So, it is an awesome little reward for a bit of work that I've put in so far.”
Adi moved to Aotearoa when he was four years old, from Vellore in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu. He lives in Auckland with his parents and a pet dog, Woody. He says his passion for cricket comes from his father Ashok Dinakaran.
"He always loved cricket, always watched cricket. He was the one to throw me balls in the backyard and play games with me when I was quite young.
Adi poses with his parents
“And then from there, I discovered YouTube and the internet and ended up falling in love with the game and falling in love with everything about cricket.”
Adi is juggling cricket and education, and he has decided to pursue only part-time studies, for now, as academics is quite important to him.
“I'm chipping away at a Bachelor of Science major in Exercise Science at the University of Auckland. I'm a part of their high-performance sports programme, which is awesome, and they've ensured I've had all the support along the way.”
When asked about the most significant challenges in his career, he says, "The biggest challenge is coming up against some pretty cool players and the likes of them over the last couple of years.
“As a young cricketer, being allowed to test yourself against some of the world's best and people who dominate world cricket is awesome. I love trying to live in the moment as much as possible because you never know when things will change.”
Steering the conversation towards his roots, Adi, who calls Shane Warne his favourite player, maintains his connection to India is quite important to him as a Kiwi-Indian.
"It means a lot to me to be connected to my roots and understand where I'm from and the people I still represent. I identify as a Kiwi, but a part of me is connected to India, especially through my family background.”
Adi also enjoys playing golf and he feels it will be “cool” if he can inspire other Kiwi-Indians and make them identify with him.
“It's more than me, as I represent the Kiwi-Indian community. It's essential for me to understand my connection to India, and I find it important to restore some of that stuff.
“That's why I'm a fluent speaker of Tamil, my native language, my mother tongue. I'm proud that I've restored a part of myself that makes me genuinely feel like I am still quite connected to where I'm from.”
As a young cricketer, Adi says if anyone wants to make a career in sport, they should not underestimate the work they might have to put in.
“There's a lot of sacrifices that you have to make, and especially if you're quite young, it's quite easy to get sucked into it.
“You have to understand that your life isn't going to be normal, or you can't quite do what all of your mates are up to all the time in terms of, you know, university life and social life and things like that.”
He says the most important thing for youngsters is to play for the right reasons, and never take what you do for granted.
“And always understand that opportunities are given as a privilege. Make sure you also play with a smile, enjoy the process, and get better every day,” he says.