Sujith Somasunder
Encyclopedia
Sujith Bijjahalli Somasundar (born 2 December 1972 in Bangalore
, India
) is a former Indian cricket
er. He played domestic cricket for Karnataka
and played two One Day Internationals for India
in 1996
in the 1990-91 season but was not given a regular place in the side for about four seasons. He really flowered in 1994-95 when, pushed into opening, he responded immediately by scoring a century against Goa
. Sujith Somasundar was a key member for Karnataka during the 1996 Ranji Trophy
season. He hit two centuries and five half centuries to play a leading role in Karnataka's triumph in the Ranji Trophy. He made 99 and 53 in the Ranji Finals.
for the Titan Cup
. He made his debut against South Africa at the Lal Bahadur Shastri Stadium
, Hyderabad. He scored 9 and was run out by Daryll Cullinan..
He then played his last game for India at the M.Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore
. He was dismissed by Glenn McGrath
for 7. India won a thrilling match by 2 wickets..
, Somasundar scored a fine 68. During the 1990s, He was part of a Karnataka
setup that contributed many players to the Indian team like Anil Kumble
, Rahul Dravid
, Venkatesh Prasad
, David Johnson
, Sunil Joshi
.
In 2002, playing for Kerala
, he scored his highest first class score of 222 against Tripura
. He scored over 1000 runs that season. He turned out for Saurashtra
in the final years of his career and retired in 2007.
Currently, Sujith Somasundar works as a Training Manager for Wipro Technologies
.
. He is also a part-time sports psychologist
having trained under Dr. Patrick Cohn, a recognized sports psychologist in the United States.Sujith has visited many schools educating students on current cricket techniques including the eligible hook shot.
Bangalore
Bengaluru , formerly called Bengaluru is the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. Bangalore is nicknamed the Garden City and was once called a pensioner's paradise. Located on the Deccan Plateau in the south-eastern part of Karnataka, Bangalore is India's third most populous city and...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
) is a former Indian cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
er. He played domestic cricket for Karnataka
Karnataka cricket team
Karnataka cricket team is a cricket team that represents the Indian state of Karnataka in domestic first class cricket. One of the strongest teams in the Ranji Trophy Elite Group, it has produced many of the Indian cricket team's leading players throughout its existence...
and played two One Day Internationals for India
Indian cricket team
The Indian cricket team is the national cricket team of India. Governed by the Board of Control for Cricket in India , it is a full member of the International Cricket Council with Test and One Day International status....
in 1996
Early Domestic Career
Sujith Somasundar got his chance on the basis of some fine performances around the domestic circuit in Karnataka. A gutsy batsman, Somasundar made his first appearance for KarnatakaKarnataka cricket team
Karnataka cricket team is a cricket team that represents the Indian state of Karnataka in domestic first class cricket. One of the strongest teams in the Ranji Trophy Elite Group, it has produced many of the Indian cricket team's leading players throughout its existence...
in the 1990-91 season but was not given a regular place in the side for about four seasons. He really flowered in 1994-95 when, pushed into opening, he responded immediately by scoring a century against Goa
Goa
Goa , a former Portuguese colony, is India's smallest state by area and the fourth smallest by population. Located in South West India in the region known as the Konkan, it is bounded by the state of Maharashtra to the north, and by Karnataka to the east and south, while the Arabian Sea forms its...
. Sujith Somasundar was a key member for Karnataka during the 1996 Ranji Trophy
Ranji Trophy
The Ranji Trophy is a domestic first-class cricket championship played in India between different city and state sides, equivalent to the County Championship in England and the Sheffield Shield in Australia...
season. He hit two centuries and five half centuries to play a leading role in Karnataka's triumph in the Ranji Trophy. He made 99 and 53 in the Ranji Finals.
International Call Up
After impressive performances in the domestic tournaments, Sujith Somasundar was called up to the Indian Cricket TeamIndian cricket team
The Indian cricket team is the national cricket team of India. Governed by the Board of Control for Cricket in India , it is a full member of the International Cricket Council with Test and One Day International status....
for the Titan Cup
Titan Cup
The Titan Cup was a triangular one-day international cricket tournament held in India between 17 October and 6 November, 1996. It involved the national cricket teams of South Africa, Australia and India. Although South Africa had won all its round-robin matches, it lost in the final to India...
. He made his debut against South Africa at the Lal Bahadur Shastri Stadium
Lal Bahadur Shastri Stadium
The Lal Bahadur Shastri Stadium is a cricket stadium in Hyderabad, India. The stadium was originally known as Fateh Maidan and was re-named in 1967 after Lal Bahadur Shastri, India's former Prime Minister....
, Hyderabad. He scored 9 and was run out by Daryll Cullinan..
He then played his last game for India at the M.Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore
Bangalore
Bengaluru , formerly called Bengaluru is the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. Bangalore is nicknamed the Garden City and was once called a pensioner's paradise. Located on the Deccan Plateau in the south-eastern part of Karnataka, Bangalore is India's third most populous city and...
. He was dismissed by Glenn McGrath
Glenn McGrath
Glenn Donald McGrath AM , nicknamed "Pigeon", is a former Australian cricket player. He is one of the most highly regarded fast-medium pace bowlers in cricketing history, and a leading contributor to Australia's domination of world cricket from the mid-1990s to the early 21st century...
for 7. India won a thrilling match by 2 wickets..
Later Domestic Career
Rejected by the national selectors, Somasundar continued to be in good form and in the 1997-98 season, aggregated 629 runs. This was followed by a fine performance the next year when he helped Karnataka to another Ranji Trophy triumph by scoring 529 runs. In the 1998 final against Uttar PradeshUttar Pradesh cricket team
The Uttar Pradesh cricket team is a cricket team which is based in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. The team competes in the Ranji Trophy and won the tournament in 2005-06. They have only won 1 Ranji Trophy and have been runner-up twice. Young talents such as Mohammad Kaif, Suresh Raina, Piyush...
, Somasundar scored a fine 68. During the 1990s, He was part of a Karnataka
Karnataka cricket team
Karnataka cricket team is a cricket team that represents the Indian state of Karnataka in domestic first class cricket. One of the strongest teams in the Ranji Trophy Elite Group, it has produced many of the Indian cricket team's leading players throughout its existence...
setup that contributed many players to the Indian team like Anil Kumble
Anil Kumble
Anil Kumble is a former Indian cricketer and captain of the Indian Test cricket team. He is a right-arm leg spin bowler and a right-hand batsman. He is currently the leading wicket-taker for India in both Test and One Day International matches...
, Rahul Dravid
Rahul Dravid
Rahul Sharad Dravid , is a cricketer in the Indian national team, of which he has been a regular member since 1996. He was appointed as the captain of the Indian cricket team in October 2005 and resigned from the post in September 2007. Dravid was honoured as one of the top-five Wisden Cricketers...
, Venkatesh Prasad
Venkatesh Prasad
Bapu Krishnarao Venkatesh Prasad is a former Indian cricketer. He is the bowling coach for Royal Challengers Bangalore in the Indian Premier League, having formerly performed the same role for the Indian cricket team from 2007 to 2009. He made his debut in 1996...
, David Johnson
David Johnson
David Johnson may refer to:* C. David Johnson , Canadian actor* David Johnson , American painter* David Johnson , American former college football quarterback...
, Sunil Joshi
Sunil Joshi
Sunil Bandacharya Joshi is a former Indian cricketer. He is an all-rounder who bowls slow left arm spin and bats left-handed. He used to travel 40 miles to Hubli each morning for practice, and then return to his native town of Gadag in time for school...
.
In 2002, playing for Kerala
Kerala cricket team
The Kerala cricket team is a domestic cricket team based in the Indian state of Kerala. It is in the Plate Group of the Ranji Trophy, the premier first class cricket tournament in India. Kerala has produced two Indian test cricketers, Tinu Yohannan and Shanthakumaran Sreesanth...
, he scored his highest first class score of 222 against Tripura
Tripura
Tripura is a state in North-East India, with an area of . It is the third smallest state of India, according to area. Tripura is surrounded by Bangladesh on the north, south, and west. The Indian states of Assam and Mizoram lie to the east. The capital is Agartala and the main languages spoken are...
. He scored over 1000 runs that season. He turned out for Saurashtra
Saurashtra cricket team
Saurashtra is one of three cricket teams based in Gujarat which competes in the Ranji Trophy . Formerly known as Nawanagar cricket team it won the Ranji Trophy in 1936-37.-Competition history:...
in the final years of his career and retired in 2007.
Currently, Sujith Somasundar works as a Training Manager for Wipro Technologies
Wipro
Wipro Limited formally Western India Products Limited is a global IT services and consulting company headquartered in Bangalore, India. As of 2011, Wipro is the second largest IT services company by turnover in India and employs more than 120,000 people worldwide as of March 2011...
.
. He is also a part-time sports psychologist
Sport psychology
Sport psychology is an interdisciplinary science that draws on knowledge from the fields of kinesiology and psychology. It involves the study of how psychological factors affect performance and how participation in sport and exercise affect psychological and physical factors...
having trained under Dr. Patrick Cohn, a recognized sports psychologist in the United States.Sujith has visited many schools educating students on current cricket techniques including the eligible hook shot.