Ex-Indian cricketer left country to chase girlfriend, played with Srikkanth, Binny; faced botched surgery, SA banned him

To what extent can you go for love? Will you risk your career and put your life at stake? Or will you find a way to trick the government into going abroad in pursuit of chasing your soulmate? Would you give it all up and settle abroad with all the uncertainty in the world? Or will you be willing to get banned in a foreign country?

Well, this former cricketer did all of that.

Indian cricket is filled with some epic love stories. The legendary Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi's wedding to Sharmila Tagore was the first of the many fond associaitons between cricket and Bollywood, whereas Sourav Ganguly married his childhood sweetheart to prove such stories exist in cricket, too. Sachin Tendulkar's wedding with Anjali (then Mehta) was a private affair with only a handful of people invited, and years later, Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma's wedding in Italy set the trend for wedding attires that weren't all red and traditional.

But even the most romantic and classic love stories pale compared to what Mahalingam Venkatesan did to be with the love of his life. A prominent figure across India's regional and domestic cricket circuit in the late 1970s and 80s, Mali, as he is fondly called, took a risk that changed his life.

Mali played extensively in Chennai's First-Class cricket circuit, primarily in lower-division leagues. Among the teams he represented was Jolly Rovers, a club owned by India Cements in its early days. In 1978, he joined the State Bank of India team and toured Sri Lanka alongside cricketing stalwarts like Syed Kirmani and Kris Srikkanth, to name a few. However, a fateful encounter with love soon led him to make extraordinary and unexpected decisions.

"I met my wife Priscilla, who was a South African-Indian. She had come to India in 1983. But when she went back, I had to find a way to go and chase her to South Africa. Those days, travelling wasn't easy. One couldn't travel to South Africa easily. But I got special permission from the government of India and landed here the same year. I told them I have a relative in South Africa whom I had to visit – a blood relative through a common grandfather. Those days, there were only paper visas. After landing in Durban, when I called her and told her that I was here, she couldn't believe it. She was like 'You're lying'. I went to her workplace and declared 'Look, I am here, all the way from India to meet you'." Mali, 70, tells Hindustan Times in a candid chat.

"My wife [then my girlfriend] and her sister had come to SBI to exchange currency. India and West Indies were playing a Test match in Chennai. I took her to the match and the rest as they say is history. Something clicked that day and today, she and I have been married for 38 years."

Upon touching base in South Africa, Mali was eager to pick up where he had left off in India. At the time, South Africa's domestic set-up had two boards – Natal Cricket Association and Natal Cricket Board – operating during the apartheid era. Naturally, Mali wanted to play cricket. Back in Tamil Nadu, he had been an active player for the State Bank of India team. At just 24 or 25 years old, when he arrived in South Africa, he joined a local team that wasn't a multi-racial setup. Mali also featured in two league matches for the Pastorals in Durban's A-Division League, held in the Phoenix district.

Eventually, Mali got his break with the NCB and played a few matches under the name "Mahalingam Moodle." However, things ended abruptly. When his visa was about to expire, Mali applied for an extension, but complications arose. Someone who knew him contacted the ambassador in Zambia, who then reached out to the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA). His manager at SBI confronted him, asking, "How can you play in South Africa?" With little choice, Mali quietly returned to India leaving Priscilla behind.

"I played really well in four matches. The selectors were to meet for the Benson and Hedges Tournament. I got selected, but before I could go any further, they found out that I am not from South Africa. And then they banned me. NCB said 'you can't play', because they felt that any player not from South Africa automatically endorsed aparthied for them. So, I went back to India. But hey, I was the first Indian from India who played in South Africa," mentioned Mali.

"I played more than 100 First-Division matches. And in South Africa, about 12 matches. I got 8/12 in a First-Division game playing for SBI. In an inter-regional match, I got the wickets of GR Viswanath, Kirmani, Roger Binny, who were representing Bangalore SBI in the Ramananda Rao Trophy. It was sometime in the 80s. I even won matches with the bat. 28 runs were needed to win off three overs, and I remained unbeaten on 26 and won the match. I scored 98 in a first-division game. Missed a hundred because the other players got out."

In college, Srikkanth was his junior, and Mali served as his vice-captain, with Cheeka affectionately calling him 'Andy Mali' (Indian Andy Roberts). As an opening bowler, Mali made a significant impact; in one memorable First-Division game in Chennai, he took an incredible eight wickets for just 12 runs, dismissing an entire lineup of Ranji Trophy players.

The operation botch that changed Mali's life

Mali seemed destined for even greater success, but an unfortunate accident followed by a botched surgery derailed his career, costing him several valuable years.

"I endured a motorbike accident. Those days, there was no arthroscope. The doctors told me that I needed surgery, but instead of removing the torn cartilage, they operated on my healthy cartilage in Chennai. After that, my knee was not the same. It surely limited by career. Otherwise, I would have played a lot more cricket. It impacted my performance in a way that I could never be as effective again. I would bowl fine the first day, but my knee would swell severely as I played on Day 2 and Day 3. I could bowl 20 overs max, and from there on, it was always a struggle.

Mali and his wife now live happily in Durban

Mali's wife returned in 1986, and the two tied the knot that same year. They spent the next 15 years building their life together in India. Mali retired from professional cricket in 2000, marking the end of one chapter and the beginning of another. A quarter of a century later, Mali is a proud Protea who has achieved remarkable success. He ventured into the restaurant business, opening three establishments in quick succession. Although he eventually parted ways with them, these business decisions proved highly lucrative, allowing him to build a substantial fortune.

"I have been in South Africa for the last 24 years. I am thankful to Mr. N Srinivasan and Kasi Viswanathan. In 2009, when the IPL came to South Africa, they gave me an opportunity to assist Chennai Super Kings. Srinivasan sir said, 'Kasi, Mali will be our guest forever'. Ever since, every IPL, CSK sponsors my trip with his wife. I enjoy CSK's matches and travel all over India. Even last year, I was there. In SA20, they appointed me as the public officer for Joburg Super Kings."

"I have no regrets today. I have two sons, aged 28 and 38. I will turn 70 in May. I came here and started three restaurants. The first one was called Little India. All used to come. After I stopped it, I opened two more restaurants, named Palki and Mali's Indian Restaurant. Mali's did very well, but in 2019, when my son moved to Canada, I gave it up too. I was the director of three restaurants."

With his son back in South Africa, Mali plans to restart his restaurant business, offering this writer a complimentary dinner.