Krishnachandran Karate wants to make a name for himself when UAE cricket visit Scotland

Having been recalled to the squad for next month’s tour of Scotland, the India-born all-rounder is just as resolved to prove it is his talent that should get him noticed, Paul Radley writes from Dubai.

Krishnachandran Karate of the UAE bats while Brendan Taylor of Zimbabwe looks on during the 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup match at Saxton Field on February 19, 2015 in Nelson, New Zealand. Hagen Hopkins/Getty ImagesShow less

DUBAI // With such an eye-catching moniker, Krishnachandran Karate did not have to do much to make a name for himself on his big stage debut with UAE cricket last year.

After the national team lost a low-key group match to Ireland in the World Cup in Brisbane, the India-born all-rounder even made headlines in the Australian press.

Having edged to slip, Kevin O'Brien, his catcher, struck a pose aping "The Crane" – Daniel-san's finishing manoeuvre in the 1984 movie The Karate Kid.

“I didn’t know what he was doing when I got out,” Karate, 31, recalls now. “The next day, when we were travelling to Perth to face India, when we were in the airport lounge we happened to see the newspaper coverage.

“Although Shaiman Anwar got the hundred [the UAE’s first ever in World Cups], Karate Kick was in the title. That is when I got to see what he did when he took my catch.”

It was just the sort of thing he foresaw happening ahead of the competition.

Read also:

• UAE's Krishna Chandran ready to represent Kerala... against India

• Amjad Javed urges UAE to put Ireland heartbreak behind them and mount challenge for India

He even asked for the name on the back of his shirt to be Krishna, rather than his mother’s surname, Karate. The Keralite wanted to be known for his performances rather than anything else.

“When I was given my shirt on the jersey-launch day, I was a little bit disappointed because I didn’t want my name on there to be Karate,” he said.

“I went and mentioned it to the coach, that I wanted it to be Krishna, how come it is Karate now? He said this name was going to give me a lot of fame – and it did.

“Unfortunately it was only the name that brought me fame. I wish it could have been because of my performance.”

Sixteen months on since a poor World Cup cost him his place in the UAE side, Karate is back and ready to start again.

Having been recalled to the squad for next month’s tour of Scotland, he is just as resolved to prove it is his talent that should get him noticed.

That said, he is content to be known as Karate from now on. “Definitely, I want to stick with that,” he said.

He endured a horror run at the World Cup, including four runs in four innings, during which time he made three ducks.

In the fallout that followed the UAE going winless in their six matches on their return to the showpiece competition for the first time in 19 years, he was jettisoned from the squad.

It has taken fine form in the domestic game with Fly Emirates, the staff team he captains, as well as the backing of interim coach Paul Franks, to force his way back into the reckoning.

“When it was deemed necessary for changes after the World Cup, because it wasn’t good enough, Krishna was one of the casualties,” Franks said.

“I sympathised with him a little because he was asked to bat out of position, and I thought he was a good cricketer in the making for the UAE.

“I felt he was still the right age profile to build a really good career in international cricket. Thankfully, he has had a good domestic season, and has come back onto the radar.

“He is bright, coachable, and knows what the game is about. I hope Krishna concentrates on what is in front of him and not what has gone. Use your experiences of what has gone, and concentrate on the here and now.”

Karate is focused on doing exactly that, starting with the tour of Scotland, where the national team will play two World Cricket League 50 over games, plus a four-day Intercontinental Cup match.

“We have a new bunch of guys in the team,” Karate said. “Most of them have played a good level of cricket, there is combination of good youngsters and seniors with a lot of experience.

“As a batting unit we are really keen to show we can do better than what we have been doing over the past few years.”

Follow us on Twitter @NatSportUAE

Like us on Facebook at facebook.com/TheNationalSport