“Like every other kid in India, I was attracted to cricket at a very young age, needless to say Sachin Tendulkar being my inspiration and idol. As the saying goes, ‘mother is the first and the best teacher’, my mom being an educator as well, could easily spot the player in me and placed me in the Sports Coaching Foundation where I met my first ever coach and Guru, Mr. Sai Baba, who inspired me to be a professional cricketer. Under his able guidance and coaching I have grown from Inter coaching matches to representing the state at the under-13. Since then, there has been no looking back. Though an all-rounder, I was a specialist batsman, who opened the innings for my team in all forms of cricket.
It was at St. Andrews High School, under Mr. John Manoj, the founder of St. Johns Cricket Academy, I gained a lot of exposure towards inter school tournaments by being the school captain and I was successful in creating visibility to the school. I later went on to lead the inter club cricket matches, and have been a captain for Inter college (Tetrahedron Junior. College) and have captained Wesley Degree college in the final year of my graduation.
All these achievements have inspired me to make it big and take up cricket as a profession and always aspired to play for the country. It was a long story of sacrifices, not with me alone sacrificing my studies for putting in long hours for practicing but also my father who sacrificed his professional career to fulfill my dream to represent India. I have a special mention for my father (Late Mr. K.V.S.Subrahmanyam) who was my backbone and motivated me to practice hard for at least 12-14 hours daily. It still stays afresh and brings a smile to my face when I recollect practicing hanging ball at around 10PM with a 100 volts bulb in a rented parking area causing inconvenience to my neighbours, who were equally supportive of my passion and encouraged my talent.
I was extremely blessed to have represented and played for all age groups – Under 16, Under 19, Under 22 & Under 25, being called for Ranji Trophy nets, and sustained competition from the likes of A.T. Rayudu, T.Suman, etc. I learnt a lot from VVS Lakshman & Anirudh Singh who were also from St. John’s Cricket Academy. Later, I was also named captain for a minor county club cricket team (Bellfield Cricket Club) in Australia based on my exposure towards playing cricket in the UK & Ireland while I was with St. John’s Cricket Academy.
But life had something in store for me. I had to decide on choosing an alternate career in Human Resources given many unforeseen conditions and incidents and I graced the decision of mine. The discipline the sport taught and the values my parents instilled in me made me get along with my career as a HR with a smile on my face. Thanks to Mr. Sridhar Sharma for having inspired me to make a career in Talent Acquisition (Human Resources).
Having started as an intern with TeamLease Services Pvt Ltd and have worked with world’s best organizations like Dell International Services , Bank of America Continuum Solutions, I progressed to being India lead, TA, at Thomson Reuters , Director & Global Head, Talent Acquisition at Eka Software Solutions, Group Leader, Talent Acquisition at Sonata Software & am currently the Assistant Vice president & Head, Talent Acquisition/Onboarding for India at Berkadia Services India Private Limited (a joint Venture of Berkshire Hathaway and Jefferies Financial Group).
My stint in the corporate world has been fulfilling for being proficient in Human Resources (Talent Acquisition) function with expertise in Cross Functional Management, People Management, Strategic Planning & Research, Talent Branding, University Relations, Data driven decisions, Contingent Workforce, and Exposure working with Diverse teams & Geographies. I owe a lot of this success to Mr. Shreeram Varahan who has been my Coach, Mentor , Boss & Philosopher who has really shaped me into a true HR professional.
Managing situations, people and pressure; never giving up attitude, decision making skills I learnt in my cricketing career, I firmly believe has added value to me as a Talent Acquisition professional. I now feel proud of the way I shaped my career in the corporate world, in spite of not making it to the National team.
My story is an example of how determination can make us big in life. It is up to you to either make it or break it. I would like to advise the younger generation to take success and failure with equal respect. My journey in cricket continues in my memories if not on the ground and I continue to cheer Team India, this World Cup Season and hope India wins it big.”
Satyodai Krovi, Assistant Vice President, Berkadia Services India Pvt Ltd.
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