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A force to reckon with

Considered not too long ago the `punching bag' of Indian cricket, the Andhra Ranji team is gradually emerging as a force to reckon with in the domestic circuit, says J.R. SHRIDHARAN

PHOTO: CH. VIJAYA BHASKAR

TRAINING THEM RIGHT Andhra Ranji team coach N. Madhukar

A classic example of the resurgence of Ranji team is the ongoing Ranji Super League Elite encounters, in which the Andhra team has performed exceptionally well to be among the top three teams in Group A. In the 53-year-long history of Andhra Cricket Association (ACA), the Andhra Ranji team had qualified for the knockout stage only twice - first time in 1985-86 under the captaincy of Bhaskar Ramamurthy and last time in 2000-2001 under the leadership of M.S.K. Prasad and the able coaching of former international Abid Ali.

The backing out at the last moment of former international Robin Singh as Andhra coach for the current season pitchforked young N. Madhukar to the challenging task, and the decision did surprise many. But silencing them all and other cricket pundits too, Madhukar, along with India international Venugopala Rao, marshalled the resources of the team splendidly, defeating some of the best teams in Group A.

Blend of players

"I give credit to the team work. The team is a fine blend of experienced players and a handful of youngsters. Exceptional performances by L N. Prasad Reddy, A.S.K. Varma, Vegugopala Rao, M.S.K. Prasad, R.V. Ch. Prasad, Shahabuddin and Kalyan Krishna enabled the team to reach the top three. We have a crucial match against Uttar Pradesh beginning on January 9, which will decide our fate," says Madhukar.

The 22-day training camp before the season at Visakhapatnam was a disaster, as nothing could be done for two weeks due to incessant rain. "It was disappointing. But we made use of our lost time to improve our fitness level by playing beach volleyball and going for mountaineering. We practiced with tennis ball, just to get footwork right," he explains.

Along with assistant coach Krishna Rao, a shrewd cricketing brain, Madhukar made the players realise that performance is the key to success. "There is no senior-junior syndrome in the team. All are just players and their job is to execute the plan as per the directions of the coach in the interest of the team," Madhukar explains.

Future hope

Being a former India `A' player who shared the new ball with Ajit Agarkar, Madhukar rates a couple of youngsters like Vijaya Kumar, Sumanth and Arjun Kumar very high and looks at them as the future hope of Andhra cricket.

Diminutive opener Prasad Reddy of Anantapur emerged as the top run getter for the team with more than 500 runs in six matches, while medium pacers Shahabuddin and Kalyan Krishna, with their incisive spells, have become the top two wicket takers.

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