Have to instill self belief in Hyderabad players Badrinath
An insatiable hunger for runs has been the hallmark of Subramanian Badrinath's cricketing career thus far. The 36-year-old has accumulated 9778 first-class runs at an average of 56.19 with 13 tons and 43 half-centuries and though he was not able to keep his place in the Indian team for long, the run machine continues to grind out on the domestic circuit.
After helping Vidarbha reach the quarterfinals in the last two seasons, Badrinath has taken up the challenge of guiding Hyderabad back to the Elite group. A tough task on hand indeed but the right-handed batsmen is game for the challenge. He shared his thoughts during a chat with ToI in his hotel room on Monday (September 26). Excerpts:
Evolution of cricket:
Cricket has been evolving. T20 cricket has been a mixed bag. There are several good things about it but it has also some few bad aspects. It has brought new insights and non-existent strokes have come into the game. Modern cricket is all about adjustments. The batsmen have a lot more options and have made life difficult for the bowlers. This could have an effect on the longer version of the game.
Second home:
It is nostalgic to come back to Hyderabad. It is a city which is close to my heart. I played my first state tournament here when I was around 11 years old and since then played a lot of cricket here. However, because of the change in format, I was not able to play here for the last few years. I'm looking forward to this new challenge. I am so happy to be here as the places, the streets, restaurants etc are very familiar to me.
Lack of confidence in Hyderabad ranks:
It is a young team. The talent is definitely there. There is no question about the talent and ability. The last three years they have not played good cricket. The confidence level may be a bit low and our priority will be to address this issue. Mental toughness is more important than skills with the bat and ball. A player will go through tough situations and it is important to learn how to come out of it. The batsman has to know how to bat on all conditions while the biggest test for a bowler is to bowl on a flat wicket.
Mentor and guide:
I'm enjoying the role of a mentor, captain and player. Having played for 15 years as a professional cricketer, my role will be to take the young cricketers along with me. I have to help them to play their best cricket. That will help the team and so it is a challenging role. It is good to see young cricketers looking to me and I have to set an example. I'm confident of a good show from the team.
Mental ability:
People give different names for it but I call it mental ability. Self-discipline is everything in cricket. The bowler's effort should be to bowl as many good spells as possible and a batsman should determine not to get out. Discipline is the reason that Mumbai have won so many Ranji Trophy titles. We have to emulate that team's ethics. I have already interacted with the players and I have got a positive response.
Coach-Captain tango:
I have known (Bharat) Arun since I was 19 years old from the Chemplast days. The coach and captain rapport is very good. It is important that both are on the same page and line of thinking. We are working on a winning formula. As the season goes, the graph should go up irrespective of a few setbacks at the start of the new season. It is all about teamwork.
Neutral venues:
It is good and bad. Obviously, we won't be playing in Hyderabad. To be honest there is always pressure while playing at home. On the downside, there will be a lot of travel and physically it will be very demanding as we play nine back-to-back matches. Mentally and physically it will be challenging. How we will respond to this challenge, is going to be important. We will be playing in some very unfamiliar places and so the challenge will be to assess the conditions and quickly adapt.
First approach:
When Arshad Ayub contacted me, he mentioned to me that it is a young team and he wanted a senior cricketer to guide them through the season. One thing for sure, Hyderabad never lacked talent. For example, I'm not the most talented cricketer. But I worked my way to the top. I believe in physical fitness and work ethics. A Badrinath or Arun cannot change the team overnight. It is a process. As long as they do the right things, the higher goals will be taken care of.
Hyderabad legacy:
When I started my career, there were two teams that I wanted to perform in South Zone, one was Karnataka and the other was Hyderabad. This city has a rich history of cricket. It is unfortunate that they have not able to perform in recent years but this team has the ability to beat the best teams. We have to instil self-belief in the players and make them dream playing for the country .
Vidarbha vs Hyderabad:
It is not fair to compare two teams as they are both different in many aspects. Hyderabad is a young and fresh team. The important challenge would be to make the players understand their roles and ask them to give out their best. Experience and age do not matter, what matters is the performance on the field.
After helping Vidarbha reach the quarterfinals in the last two seasons, Badrinath has taken up the challenge of guiding Hyderabad back to the Elite group. A tough task on hand indeed but the right-handed batsmen is game for the challenge. He shared his thoughts during a chat with ToI in his hotel room on Monday (September 26). Excerpts:
Evolution of cricket:
Cricket has been evolving. T20 cricket has been a mixed bag. There are several good things about it but it has also some few bad aspects. It has brought new insights and non-existent strokes have come into the game. Modern cricket is all about adjustments. The batsmen have a lot more options and have made life difficult for the bowlers. This could have an effect on the longer version of the game.
Second home:
It is nostalgic to come back to Hyderabad. It is a city which is close to my heart. I played my first state tournament here when I was around 11 years old and since then played a lot of cricket here. However, because of the change in format, I was not able to play here for the last few years. I'm looking forward to this new challenge. I am so happy to be here as the places, the streets, restaurants etc are very familiar to me.
Lack of confidence in Hyderabad ranks:
It is a young team. The talent is definitely there. There is no question about the talent and ability. The last three years they have not played good cricket. The confidence level may be a bit low and our priority will be to address this issue. Mental toughness is more important than skills with the bat and ball. A player will go through tough situations and it is important to learn how to come out of it. The batsman has to know how to bat on all conditions while the biggest test for a bowler is to bowl on a flat wicket.
Mentor and guide:
I'm enjoying the role of a mentor, captain and player. Having played for 15 years as a professional cricketer, my role will be to take the young cricketers along with me. I have to help them to play their best cricket. That will help the team and so it is a challenging role. It is good to see young cricketers looking to me and I have to set an example. I'm confident of a good show from the team.
Mental ability:
People give different names for it but I call it mental ability. Self-discipline is everything in cricket. The bowler's effort should be to bowl as many good spells as possible and a batsman should determine not to get out. Discipline is the reason that Mumbai have won so many Ranji Trophy titles. We have to emulate that team's ethics. I have already interacted with the players and I have got a positive response.
Coach-Captain tango:
I have known (Bharat) Arun since I was 19 years old from the Chemplast days. The coach and captain rapport is very good. It is important that both are on the same page and line of thinking. We are working on a winning formula. As the season goes, the graph should go up irrespective of a few setbacks at the start of the new season. It is all about teamwork.
Neutral venues:
It is good and bad. Obviously, we won't be playing in Hyderabad. To be honest there is always pressure while playing at home. On the downside, there will be a lot of travel and physically it will be very demanding as we play nine back-to-back matches. Mentally and physically it will be challenging. How we will respond to this challenge, is going to be important. We will be playing in some very unfamiliar places and so the challenge will be to assess the conditions and quickly adapt.
First approach:
When Arshad Ayub contacted me, he mentioned to me that it is a young team and he wanted a senior cricketer to guide them through the season. One thing for sure, Hyderabad never lacked talent. For example, I'm not the most talented cricketer. But I worked my way to the top. I believe in physical fitness and work ethics. A Badrinath or Arun cannot change the team overnight. It is a process. As long as they do the right things, the higher goals will be taken care of.
Hyderabad legacy:
When I started my career, there were two teams that I wanted to perform in South Zone, one was Karnataka and the other was Hyderabad. This city has a rich history of cricket. It is unfortunate that they have not able to perform in recent years but this team has the ability to beat the best teams. We have to instil self-belief in the players and make them dream playing for the country .
Vidarbha vs Hyderabad:
It is not fair to compare two teams as they are both different in many aspects. Hyderabad is a young and fresh team. The important challenge would be to make the players understand their roles and ask them to give out their best. Experience and age do not matter, what matters is the performance on the field.
No comments: