Career
Sathasivam played cricket in the 1940s through the 1960s. Sathasivam was the first, and probably the only, man to captain three national teams. He was captain of the Ceylon team in 1948, and then captain of the Singapore team, and finally captain of the Malaysian team
In 1948 a controversial decision of the Ceylon Cricket Association selected Mahadeva Sathasivam of the Tamil Union to lead the All-Ceylon XI team
Sathasivam married Paripoornam Anandam Rajendra, a granddaughter of Sir Ponnambalam Ramanathan in 1941. They had four daughters.
The defense flew in Sir Sydney Smith, a forensic scientist from the United Kingdom, to aid in its case. Sathasivam settled in Singapore where he captained its cricket team, and then later, after that island"s merger with its northern neighbour, Sathasivam led the Malaysian team as well.