From township to Test cricket

Hardships, misery, struggle: Thami Tsolekile has seen all that. Actually "seen" isn't quite the right word: he has lived through all that. He has come a long way from those dark days. On Saturday Tsolekile made his Test debut against India, as South Africa's wicketkeeper. He lists "life" as his alltime favourite movie. And in his 24 years to date he has lived some life.

Born in Langa in Cape Town, the oldest of South Africa's townships, Tsolekile started life in a stuffy atmosphere surrounded by 14 people in a two-room brick-and-mortar house. Brought up by a single parent - his mother, Bandile - Tsolekile started growing up in an environment where everything was informal. There were eyes looking at you from everywhere; in a place where there was no sense of privacy.

However, one major advantage of growing up in a township is the sense of bonding one derives from it. "The community is very strong there. Life was tough in the township, a bit similar to the life here in India on the streets," says Tsolekile. "There a lot of people, with different backgrounds, speaking different languages."

I was struck by his humility: he was embarrassed that he'd arrived for our chat a bit later than arranged. "Did I keep you waiting?" he asked - and it wasn't his fault, as he'd been busy giving interviews at the team's press conferences.

Clad in the South African team colours, with his earstuds glistening, he chose his words carefully. "As I started growing up my mother was still starting with her professional career as a teacher. Life was uncertain and a struggle in a township, but the lucky part was that I grew up near the Langa cricket ground. Every day after school I used to go straight to the stadium and play with the other kids." That's where the seeds for his future were sown.

Through the hardships came the resolve to battle - a willingness to do something. And the breaks came at the right time. When he was 18 the government offered him a bursary to go into a different environment. He went to a white school, the Pinelands High School, a place "where I learnt many things".

Tsolekile is a very strong character. He looks you in the eye while speaking. But that trait landed him in trouble many times, especially when he was the skipper of the Langa hockey team. He attended six disciplinary hearings as the referee punished his team for misbehaviour, or not turning up on time, or not wearing proper clothing for the match. This was probably something to do with snobbery against the lower classes, but Tsolekile was not to be bowed. He stood up for his team-mates no matter what. "Maybe from the struggle I have experienced I have become a strong character. I don't feel disappointed easily - it takes a lot to get me down."

That's a good starting point if you aspire to be a leader one day. Tsolekile has been a leader for many years now, even though he's still young. He was the captain of the South African schools team in 1998-99. He's also a handy soccer player - he led the Western Province team at Under-16 level - and represented his country in hockey in 2000 and scored with his first shot.

South Africa's cricket selectors were quick to notice his leadership qualities. He says the turning point of his life was when he realised he had a good chance of representing his country in Test cricket. "I started thinking seriously about playing for South Africa when I captained the Under-19s to Pakistan in 1998-99. After that I was leader of the team for the Under-19 World Cup in Sri Lanka, where Graeme Smith played under me along with the Amla brothers [Ahmed and Hashim], Justin Ontong and Jacques Rudolph, who was my deputy."

It's ironic that Smith now leads the South African national team, and it was he who presented Tsolekile with his first Test cap. Of Smith, Tsolekile says: "He has got a very good personality, and respect for people, two qualities of an able leader."

Tsolekile himself has the discipline, self-belief and affability of a natural leader. "I always saw myself as a leader, and was one right through my school and age-group levels in all the sports I played. The leadership qualities come from people respecting you as a person more than anything else, and then doing the right thing at the right time is also important."

He has captained people from diverse backgrounds, and says he learnt that to be a good leader you need to spend more time with people to know them better. He likes to socialise: "I hardly sit at home by myself," he says. And he doesn't just live and breathe sport. He's a fan of Tupac Shakur, R Kelly and Bob Marley. "I like clubbing - Arabic and rap are my favourites."

The other important advantage for Tsolekile is that he is the perfect team man. Gerald de Kock, SA's media manager, expands: "He was one of the best tourists on the England tour for the 2003 series."

Tsolekile did well with the South African A team, and found himself the understudy to Mark Boucher, the man he eventually replaced. Boucher had been the vice-captain, but his tough and somewhat high-handed approach won him few friends in the team. Some people suspected a racial motive for Tsolekile's inclusion ahead of Boucher, but Neil Manthorp, a senior South African cricket writer, disagrees. "You can't compare the two as Boucher has had more experience, and though the selectors favoured a few more coloured players Tsolekile can't be blamed for his dropping."

Tsolekile has no qualms about people calling him black or coloured. "I don't mind people calling [us] African or black people. I have always been happy for who I am. I have never really experienced any kind of racism, be it in the dressing-room or on the road, apart from the stupid remarks one hears once in a while." And he adds: "There are things that I can't control and some I can. I have always seen myself in the side as equal and selected on merit, and that really tells you the story."

Tsolekile is no loner. He picked up the gloves because "I don't like to be bored when I am playing. I like to be involved in the game, and that's why I chose to keep, as the keeper is always in the game."

He practised for Indian pitches by throwing the ball on rubble to get used to the bounce. He's used to the bouncy and hard pitches back home, where the ball comes through at a comfortable height, and was wary of the unpredictable bounce in India. "The first ball bowled by Shaun Pollock in the tour game at Jaipur bounced twice before it got to me. It was the worst wicket I'd kept on."

Known as "Mara" to his team-mates because one of his idols is Diego Maradona, Tsolekile knows the pressure to which he will be subjected if he doesn't perform on this tour, but he is confident of his abilities, and hopes to improve and make it harder for his competitors to take his place. "There is pressure from outside, but speaking for myself I don't see any pressure. I am not expecting much or dreaming about a big game. I am just here to stay on this tour, and to stay in the side."

Thami Tsolekile is in for the long haul in international cricket. His motto in life is "Never forget your roots." He hasn't forgotten his: he still stays in Langa along with his mother, for whom he plans to buy a leather jacket, as he's heard you can get them cheap in India. He's a player to watch.