Two Real Life Cricketers who inspired Sivakarthikeyan’s role in ‘Kanaa’

Sivakarthikeyan’s maiden production venture ‘Kanaa’ directed by Arunraja Kamaraj and starring Aishwarya Rajesh and Sathyaraj has got unanimous praise from the press show that happened on Tuesday evening.  In the film, Sivakarthikeyan plays the role of an ex-cricketer whose career is cut short due to an injury to his eye.

Arunraja Kamaraj has apparently been inspired by Team India wicket-keeper batsman Saba Karim who was seen as a great prospect at that time when there were very few glovemen in the country.  In an Asia Cup match against Bangladesh, a vicious ball from Anil Kumble deflected off the batsman’s shoes and hit Karim on his right eye.  Even after surgery vision could not be corrected and it forced the retirement of the talented keeper who later played only one test match against the same side in 2000.

In ‘Kanaa’ actually it is the bail that hits Sivakarthikeyan in his eye and that actually happened to South African wicket keeper Mark Boucher whose career  also ended after that. It was a tour game against Somerset when offspinner Imran Tahir bowled a googly that hit the stumps and the dislodged bail struck Boucher.