'Stranded' in Chennai, Sabaorish Ravichandran’s heart beats for adopted home Japan

CHENNAI: Indian-origin all-rounder Sabaorish Ravichandran has represented Japan on the global stage for the past four years. But when Japan face India in a maiden bilateral match ahead of the Asian Games on Tuesday, he will be watching from Chennai.Sabaorish, who recently relocated back home to Chennai, will not be part of Japan’s squad for the historic fixture. He qualifies to play for Japan through residency and has been part of 53 games but, under the Asian Games eligibility rules, needs a Japanese passport to be part of the squad. There is also the practical matter of flying him in for a one-off game.“I have moved back, but I’ll go back to Japan when there’s any tournament. However, bringing me in for just one game (Vs India) would be logistically difficult. Our team is already spending a lot of money to accommodate India there, and our budget is already stretched. We also don’t receive that much funding from the ICC,” Sabaorish, who bats right-handed and bowls leg-spin told TOI.“For the Japan team, this is also preparation for the Asian Games. So they thought it would be better to use the existing Asian Games squad. I’m not part of the Asian Games squad because I don’t possess a Japanese passport,” he added.There was a sense of missing out for Sabaorish, especially because the India-Japan fixture was not something he had seen coming when he decided to move back to Chennai. The discussions about relocating had begun last Sept, and he knew he would miss the Games because of the passport rule. But a bilateral match against India was a different proposition altogether. He admitted he was “really, really down” when the news broke, knowing the occasion could have given him and the Japan team a chance to be noticed.“Sometimes it’s just life, right? Playing against India is like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” said the 34-year-old mechanical engineer.Get the latest Sports News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.