A player now known for his batting skills and penchant for tall scores, Sriram started his career as a slow left arm spinner. It has been quite a transition for this genial lefthander from Chennai. On the short side for a cricketer, Sriram came into prominence last season and was selected to represent the country during the South African tour to India. Still in his early twenties, Sriram backs his claim to play at the highest level following the solid experience gained from the various junior team tours that he played along the way.

The 1999-2000 season especially saw Sriram rising in stature primarily as a batsman. Though he missed the first three Ranji Trophy games since he was touring the West Indies with the India A side, he started his campaign with a solid 121 in the zonal league against Hyderabad. This set the pattern for Sriram's big scores through the tournament. He followed this up with a neatly compiled 147 against Goa.

But what stood out were two other centuries in the Super League. The first was against Haryana. For a bowler turned batsman, Sriram displayed a judicious mix of caution and aggression while opening the batting. During his 393-minute stay at the crease, he scored 177 runs with the help of fifteen hits to the fence. The second was probably the southpaw's best innings. This came about in the last Super League encounter against Uttar Pradesh. He took a special liking for the UP bowling to notch up his personal best of 288 and by the end of the Tamil Nadu innings, the UP bowling lay in shambles with Sharath joining in the act to score another double century.

By the end of the season with over 1000 runs in the bag, inclusive of five centuries, Sriram joined the likes of Rusi Modi, Woorkheri Raman, Raman Lamba and co. The fact that he joined the select band to have reached the coveted double of 1000 runs and five centuries did not escape the selectors' eye. He was invited to play the final onedayer against the touring South Africans at Nagpur and then went with the Indian team which participated in the Coca Cola Cup tournament in Sharjah.

Soon after, Sriram was picked as one of the first batch of trainees at the National Cricket Academy which even offered him and two others the Gavaskar-Border Scholarship to spend some valuable time at the Australian Academy. He has since come back from down under no doubt enriched by the experience. But his brief stint at the highest level has only fired his desire and now he yearns to fulfil his dreams.