When Tom Kohler-Cadmore was acquired by the Rajasthan Royals during the Indian Premier League 2024 auction last year, the big-hitting Englishman probably didn’t realise he would be playing with a familiar face.
Mick Cadmore, Tom Kohler-Cadmore’s father, was the dressing room attendant when his Royals teammate Ravichandran Ashwin made his debut in English county cricket with Worcestershire.
It was a happy reunion for Mick Cadmore and Ashwin at the IPL, as Kohler-Cadmore's family flew down to watch the Royals play their second match against Delhi Capitals this season.
“When I went to England to play county cricket, the first 10 days were very difficult to start with, as we needed to do everything ourselves, right from laundry to food,” Ashwin said on his YouTube channel earlier. “Cadmore’s father helped me out with everything, and I am very grateful to him.
“When I went there, Cadmore had just moved to Yorkshire from Worcestershire and his dad asked me to watch him bat and let him know how Cadmore played,” Ashwin added. “He’s a man of gold. An amazing human being. I’m so happy I’ll get to play with his son now.”
For Kohler-Cadmore, family has been key. Had it not been for his father, he may not have been a successful cricketer. Kohler-Cadmore cites his father as the biggest inspiration in his life for everything he has done and for the sacrifices he has made to make him a cricketer.
“I owe him a new shoulder for the number of balls he has thrown to me over the years,” Kohler-Cadmore told the Rajasthan Royals website.
‘Dad loved working with Ashwin’
Kohler-Cadmore also mentioned that his dad rated Ashwin very highly as a human being and that the Indian spinner left Worcestershire in a better place.
“Dad was saying how humble Ashwin was which shook him because of the superstar he is,” Kohler-Cadmore explained. “But he fit into the squad amazingly and the whole team improved because of him.
“Dad loved working with Ashwin as he was always polite and never took anything for granted. He helped people all along and that goes a long way in what they leave behind the pitch.”
Rajasthan Royals availed Tom Kohler-Cadmore’s services in the IPL signing him ahead of the 2024 season.
Kohler-Cadmore was in the Somerset change room with his teammates around him during the IPL 2024 auction, watching the proceedings from his phone, trying to pretend that he wasn’t nervous. But deep down, he was anxious about whether he would be selected at all.
“As soon as I got selected by the Royals I was absolutely buzzing,” Kohler-Cadmore said. “I couldn’t take the smile off my face for the whole day and it has always been a dream to come and play in the IPL and I am so thankful that I got the opportunity.
“The Royals are one big family, everyone helps out, everyone has their roles,” he summed up his experiences with the team so far. “It doesn’t feel like one person is higher than the other, we all have the same goal which is to win the title. Everyone wants everyone to do well, that shows the strength of the Royals.”
Kohler-Cadmore is a destructive batter and has the ability to keep wickets, both attributes similar to that of his idol AB de Villiers of South Africa. That and his ability to be flexible in the batting order is why the 29-year-old has played for more than 10 franchises in white-ball cricket across the globe.
“If you said to me, I could bat wherever I wanted, I would always want to open the batting, but I know most batters want to open the batting, so for me, I am happy anywhere, fitting in wherever the team needs,” he said
“I like to try and hit the ball as far as I possibly can, so normally my role in teams is like taking it to the opposition, putting the bowlers under pressure with hits down the ground and pulling over mid-wicket,” Kohler-Cadmore said.
