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Dropped every time, but not deterred
Executing a flick with finesse : Venugopala Rao. --Photo: K.R. Deepak
Dame luck seems to be indifferent to him. He has not only been one among the most prolific scorers of runs in domestic cricket for the last couple of seasons but has been a subject of discussion at every team selection meeting of the Board of Control of Cricket in India. Every time such meeting takes place he waits with bated breath only to learn that the selectors have dropped him like a hot potato at the last minute.
You have guessed it right! The allusion is to Yalaka Venugopala Rao, the sturdy middle-order batsman of Andhra who has been knocking at the doors of the selectors with a number of good performances.
Formative years
Venu, the fourth of the five siblings, has been playing the game ever since he was baptised by his elder brother and learnt to hold the bat properly. Soon after playing for the under-13 Andhra team, he was selected to undergo a three-year coaching camp at the famed Pace Bowlers Academy in Chandigarh, founded by the legendary Desh Prem Azad, the mentor of India's greatest cricketer, Kapil Dev.
During 1995, Venu represented Andhra for all the age groups, right from under-16 to under-22. He amassed over 1,000 runs that year. Seeing his performance he was selected as a probable for the 1997 Junior World Cup squad. He got his first break when he was selected for the National under-19 team that won the Junior World Cup in Sri Lanka in 1998 under the captaincy of Mohammed Kaif.
Though Kaif, Yuvraj and Harbhajan, who were his fellows in that squad, have cemented their position in the current national team without playing much of domestic cricket, Venu is still hovering around the Board President XI and India-A teams, despite consistent performance year after year.
Smallness factor
Playing for a small team like Andhra, as far as cricket is concerned, could be the negative factor in his career, say former Ranji cricketers.
"Even a minor performance by a player from the traditional cricketing powerhouses like Mumbai, Delhi, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu is talked of and debated in BCCI circles, compared to those who have been consistently performing in teams from small regions. For people like Venugopala Rao it is a virtual struggle despite exhibiting top class performances over the years, whereas it is a cakewalk for players from the aforementioned powerhouses. A century or a five-wicket haul is enough to propel the former to the national squad," says a former selector of the Andhra team.
Consistency
Though Venu made his first class debut in 1998, it was from 2001 that he has been making his presence felt with consistent scores. Ever since he scored 158 against a star-studded Karnataka team he has not looked back. That year he was the highest run getter from South Zone with a haul of 480 runs.
In the last season he scripted one of the most memorable wins in domestic cricket by scoring 228 against England-A team in the Duleep Trophy outing. In the present season he has already collected over 580 runs at an impressive average of 58.50 with two centuries and an equal number of half-centuries.
The highlight of this season was the scores of 37 and 79 runs in the Duleep Trophy match against an intimidating West Zone comprising Sachin Tendulkar, Zaheer Khan and Irfan Pathan, at Hyderabad.
"That was one among the best knocks in my cricketing career. It was a difficult wicket to bat on, but I was the top scorer in both the innings. Moreover, it was for the first time that I played and performed against my idol Sachin Tendulkar," recalls Venu.
A new look Venu
Though he is a pure middle-order batsman, of late, he has been toying with the idea of becoming a genuine all-rounder to push his case.
"I started bowling off-spin for my professional club Chemplast in Chennai two years ago. I had a good season in the league over there. So from this season I started to bowl in the Ranji matches also."
Venu has not only been the highest wicket taker for Andhra this season with 20 chips in his kitty but also spoiled Inzi's birthday knock when he trapped him leg before wicket for 35 runs in the visiting team's first outing for the ongoing tour at Dharmasala. Venu played for the Board President's XI.
Despite his name being recommended and dropped consistently by the selectors, his level of performance and zeal to get into the national squad stand undeterred. "Every such incident motivates me to play better. I am confident that one day I will make it. And I am fortunate that my family is always by my side. I believe in the advice given by my mentor, Abid Ali, former Test cricketer and Andhra coach, and my friend, philosopher and guide, V.V.S. Laxman: "Keep playing and keep scoring more runs; the day will come when none can ignore you."
SUMIT BHATTACHARJEE
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Metro Plus
Bangalore
Chennai
Coimbatore
Delhi
Hyderabad
Kochi
Madurai
Mangalore
Pondicherry
Tiruchirapalli
Thiruvananthapuram
Vijayawada
Visakhapatnam
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