Season ends, but Hyderabad wake up to a brighter day

Season ends, but Hyderabad wake up to a brighter day

It was mid-February 2014 and the winter chills had started to subside. Even as Chennai's winters don't have much global acceptance, the locals swear for the need of a sweater. A few close friends of S Badrinath had gathered at his home after he wasn't bought by any team in the Indian Premier League auctions. Frustrated by the snub, he went on a rant and eventually broke down in front of them. He believed, given that he had played 95 matches for Chennai Super Kings, the price of tag of Rs 1 Crore that he had set for himself was justified. Many believed, he was being too optimistic, but he believed he deserved better.

"2014 was a bad year for me," Badrinath says. "Mentally, I was down. Honestly, that year taught me a lot and changed me a lot. Not just as a cricketer, but as a person. I knew that I needed to change as a cricketer, add dimensions to my game. Dimensions like leadership."

A prolific scorer at the domestic level, Badrinath's misery in 2014 wasn't to end there. Later in the year, Tamil Nadu selectors decided to invest in youth and sent the message across to Badrinath, Tamil Nadu's highest run-getter, that he wasn't a part of their future plans. Much against his wishes, he was left to find other avenues to continue his career as a cricketer.

For two years he rendered his services to Vidarbha and helped them reach the quarterfinals on both occasions. Once the two-year association was over, Badrinath wanted to come back to his home state and continue his career there. Even when he realised there is no door open for him as a player, he offered to come back in the role of a coach or a mentor. He waited for a response till five days before the squad was to be announced, before eventually agreeing to join Hyderabad. As it turned out, who so ever stood to lose, Hyderabad eventually won.

Joining forces with Bharat Arun, he helped Hyderabad play a brand of cricket that they couldn't for many years in the recent past. Much like with Vidarbha, he led Hyderabad, one of the domestic minnows, to lift their game and qualify for the quarterfinals.

"The primary issue was with the mindset," Badrinath says. "They haven't been playing good cricket over the last few years. So they got into this mindset where they were playing not to lose. This is something I realised and worked on, making them to play to win matches. There is a thin line between playing to win and playing not to lose. This was the primary thing that I addressed to start with. Once they started playing positive cricket, it helped their self belief and confidence."

And as it turned out, Hyderabad punched above their weight to reach the quarterfinals and give defending champions Mumbai a scare in the knockout stage before eventually losing by 30 runs.

How did the campaign go:

After registering a comprehensive 9-wicket win over Goa in their tournament opener, Hyderabad's campaign fell a bit wayward. They lost to Haryana in the next match and drew against Kerala in which they conceded the first innings lead. However, what will remain the highlight of their campaign was in their fourth match - they bundled out Himachal Pradesh for a meagre 36 and then went on to win.

The turning point, nonetheless, came in the fifth round of the group stage. Their match against Tripura couldn't take place due to smog. While the board had announced that the match will be rescheduled, allowing both sides the advantage to plan their qualification chances better, the match was later termed a draw and both sides were awarded one point each. While the result ended Tripura's qualification chances going into the final match of the group stage, it put Hyderabad in a precarious state - they had to ensure they did not lose their final encounter against Andhra.

However, what followed that break was a revival in the way Hyderabad played. They registered three consecutive outright wins - against Services (by 10 wickets), against Chhattisgarh (by 44 runs) and against Jammu and Kashmir (by 286 runs), taking them to the top of the Group C points table.

In their last group match against Andhra, they were on the backfoot. However, courtesy bad light, less than 212 overs were bowled across four days. Chasing 219 for a win, they were reeling at 56 for 5 when the match ended. Hyderabad progressed through to the quarterfinals as group toppers.

In the knockout match, they were up against defending champions Mumbai. Skipper S Badrinath minced no words when he said, "We are going into the match as underdogs". However led by CV Milind's seven wickets and Mohammad Siraj's 9, Hyderabad kept Mumbai under 300 in both innings. But another batting failure, despite B Anirudh's fighting unbeaten 84, they fell short by 30 runs.

What worked:

After getting off to a slow start in the season, a more attacking approach helped the side register three consecutive outright wins.

The pace bowling department was the biggest reason for Hyderabad's success in this season, and also the primary reason for the quarterfinals qualification. CV Milind (35 wickets - ave 22.17), Ravi Kiran (34 wickets- ave 20.67) and Mohammad Siraj (41 wickets - ave 18.92) stood tall and ensured the opposition didn't post big totals. Riding on their brilliance, Hyderabad topped Group C. Even in the quarterfinal clash against Mumbai, Siraj and Milind bagged a fifer each and bowled the defending champions below 300 in both innings.

"When me and Arun first came to Hyderabad, we assessed the team and we could see there was potential," Badrinath says. "We could see potential in the fast bowling department, who have done really well for us. We have backed them and there has definitely been progress. The last match we played against Mumbai, we didn't lose by much. Whatever we have told them, they have responded to that and progressed. It is a very good sign for Hyderabad cricket. The important thing was to go out there and play positive cricket. That is something I'm very happy to see."

In the batting department, B Sandeep (612 runs - ave 47.07) and B Anirudh (549 runs - ave 49.90) stood tall, especially in tough situations.

What didn't work:

Their openers were a big let down, often undoing all the good that their pacers would do. The fact that Hyderabad lost early wickets, put the middle order under pressure and allowed the opposition to lift their spirits. The match against Himachal Pradesh was a prime example where despite bowling the opposition out for 36, they had to battle hard for a win.

Apart from B Sandeep and B Anirudh, Badrinath (467 runs - ave 33.35), Tanmay Agarwal (462 runs - ave 38.50) and Akshath Reddy (446 runs - ave 26.23) were the only other batsmen to score over 400 runs in the season. However, even their averages were mediocre.

Even as Hyderabad didn't quite get too many good batting wickets, except the one in Jamshedpur which was on the slower side, a better batting show would have certainly helped them do better.

Moving ahead:

Hyderabad have qualified for the elite stage and will have a tougher task at hand. "There isn't a massive gulf between the elite and the plate teams as we make it out to be," Badrinath believes. "The only difference is that most elite teams have more experienced players. In terms of talent, there is very little differentiate."

Badrinath and Bharat Arun's meticulous and hard working style of training did help the side this year, but there is no certainty of their future with Hyderabad. Maybe they won't be there next year, and the team will have to buy into a new philosophy of play under a new coach and captain. However, the self-belief and confidence instilled in them should hold them in good stead.