Rajagopal was a man before his time

If stories are to be believed, K R Rajagopal would have fit right into this era where strike-rate is king, but one can only deal with hypotheticals at this point for the 82-year-old breathed his last on Friday after years of battling kidney issues.

Rajagopal, who lost his wife P Indira a few years ago, is survived by his two daughters, both of whom are settled in the US.

The dynamic wicket-keeper/ batsman represented both erstwhile Madras and Mysore state in the 60s and 70s, and was touted to be the next big export from Karnataka to the Indian team. That, however, wasn't to be as he was declared medically unfit despite a 800-run first-class season in 1967.

Rajagopal was expected to make his international debut on the 67 tour of Australia under Nawab of Pataudi. Rajagopal 'defied the odds' and continued to ply his wares for Tamil Nadu despite the reports.

Born in Bengaluru, Rajagopal first turned out for Mysore before moving to Madras in 1966 in search of a stable job. Rajagopal, an electrical engineer, was employed by India Cements and was based in Sankarnagar, Tirunelveli. Later, he worked at the India Cements foundry in Nandambakkam, Madras.

While his number of 3074 runs from 55 matches, including seven hundreds, seem a shade unimpressive, those who witnessed Rajagopal in his prime vouch for his brilliance. In fact, many anecdotes refer to the diminutive opener as a prototype short-format batter with a penchant for daredevilry.

"He was one of the most stylish batsmen of that generation," reminisced Sudharkar Rao, the former Karnataka wicketkeeper who would have picked up a trick or two from his senior. "He was gifted but it's sad that he wasn't able to make it further. He should have been picked for the Indian side."

Sudhakar added he would meet Rajagopal every few months, and remembered that he wasn't in the best of health for nearly a year. "We grew close and he was such a gentleman. They don't make people that anymore. He had such clarity and was such a joy to be around," said the former KSCA president.

"I hadn't met for nearly seven months and then I got this tragic news," he added.

In an as-told-to piece which appeared in DH in 2016, Rajagopal said: "We have all moved in different directions and have done well for ourselves in our respective professions but our love for cricket still remains strong. We were never paid for the matches that we played but we continued to play for the love of the game and practised very hard to steer the team to victory on several occasions. We would be paid only Rs 25 when we played for the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) matches. What led us forward was our true passion for the game, giving everything but expecting nothing in return."

His legacy, if nothing else, reflects this attitude, without compromise.