As a young schoolboy, Murali Kartik’s life revolved around cricket. He was smitten by the game and took it up in right earnest at the age of 12. Thirteen years later in 1999-2000, he made his Test debut against South Africa. Besides training hard and spending most of his time on the pitch, Kartik graduated in commerce from Delhi’s Hindu College. He’d also planned to complete his Masters in Computer Application but couldn’t finish the exams as cricket took up most of his time. The left-arm spinner who’s played eight Tests for India, has been playing for the Railway team since 2005. The most recent development in his career: English County Middlesex has signed him for the next season beginning 2007.

Kartik’s wife, Shweta worked as an airhostess with Singapore Airlines and was based in the Lion City. But after marriage, she quit her high-flying job. Shweta accompanies Kartik on his trips to England and has always been around to support and encourage him during the highs and lows in his career. In her book, it is the trust and friendship that the two share, which makes their relationship work.

Kartik:

Shweta and I studied in the same school, Sardar Patel Vidyalaya — but we barely knew each other then. In fact she was a year senior to me even though we are the same age.

I met Shweta long after we had both left school through a common friend, Vikram Solanki who’s also a cricketer. She was working in Singapore and had come down to India for her sister’s wedding. After meeting in Delhi, we stayed in touch through SMS, e-mail and the telephone. Initially, I never wanted to get married but after getting to know Shweta, I realised that here was someone I could spend the rest of my life with.

When I turned 26, we got married in a traditional South Indian ceremony — I am a Tamilian Brahmin while Shweta is a Shukla Brahmin from Uttar Pradesh. Now according to Tamilian wedding customs, the bride is supposed to change into different saris for the various rituals. It was a hoot to see Shweta come out wearing different saris one after the other, just like a model. It was definitely something she wasn’t used to!

We have been married for over three years now and the kind of rapport that we share is akin to that between friends. The good things about Shweta: she’s someone who never thinks ill of others. Also, she’s a stickler for rules and etiquette, punctuality and cleanliness. Not that I hate all these things — even I like to be organised — but she at times, takes it to another level. One thing that irritates me is that if we are travelling, she wants me to pack three days in advance. And if the flight is scheduled for 2pm, I have to be ready by 10 am. This is something that we just can’t agree upon. However, Shweta has always stood by me through thick and thin. We like spending time together, which is why she usually travels with me when I play county cricket in England.

Shweta:

I have no memory of Kartik from our school days and even later, when I met him through Vikram, I wasn’t very impressed. I thought he was pig-headed and snobbish. Vikram was in Delhi at the time and Kartik used to take him around in his car. In those days, I didn’t really follow cricket. All I knew was that Kartik was struggling as a newcomer. After we met though, we stayed in touch, but our relationship actually started with a proposal from his side.

When it came to marriage, my parents had no problems with our relationship or the fact that Kartik is South Indian. We waited for him to turn 26 and the day he did, we got married. Being the wife of a cricketer hasn’t changed me much, but at times when he is under pressure, I along with the rest of our family feel the strain. But then there are ups and downs in everybody’s life. One just has to take them in one’s stride.

With Kartik, there are no cover-ups — he never pretends to be something he is not. He is very straightforward and this has often led to him being misunderstood as a rude person. When it comes to friendship, Kartik really chooses his friends carefully and once that bond is created, you can be assured that he will always be there for you.

He has his quirks too. And some of them stem from his superstitions and customs. For instance Kartik believes that if you’re going to a barber for a haircut, you must walk to the barber and not touch anything on the way. So whenever he goes for a haircut, he walks very carefully so that nothing or nobody touches him. I find this very amusing!

While Kartik and I are great friends, we have our arguments too. And most of these arise from the fact that I insist on being early for everything — something I learned from my days as an airhostess. But besides this, he is a disciplined person and very careful about his cricket gear. And yes, Kartik may not be your typical ‘flower and gifts’ guy, but all in all, he’s an amazing person to be with.

Photograph by Jagan Negi