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Puli on the prowl
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The Andhra boy has proved time and again that patience pays back rich dividends
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Cricketer L.N. Prasad Reddy
For the diminutive opening batsman L. N. Prasad Reddy of Andhra Ranji team, the on-going super league Ranji tournament will always remain close to his heart for he created a history in the 54-year-old Andhra Cricket Association by notching up three c
enturies in a row. He scored an unbeaten 114 against Punjab at Amritsar in the second innings and later made mincemeat of the Uttar Pradesh attack by slamming 132 and 103 not out at Anantapur a few weeks back.
The gritty cricketer from Anantapur made his debut in 1996 but was in and out of Andhra Ranji team for various reasons. In fact, Prasad failed to cement his position as an opening batsman as players like Amit Pathak and M.S.K. Prasad were in good nick. Prasad was forced to play down the batting order.
Known for his astute concentration and loads of patience, Prasad Reddy proved himself as an accomplished opener and players like India internationals Mohammed Kaif and Gynandra Pandey showered praises on him for his fine display of pyrotechnics.
Says Andhra Ranji skipper Amit Pathak, under whom Prasad Reddy played: “His greatest advantage is his height. He is around five feet and his crouching stance enables him reach the fast bowlers much better.
He seldom throws his wicket away and waits for the bad deliveries to be punished. He rarely launches himself to indiscreet shots.”
Another former Andhra skipper V. Vijayasaradhy says Prasad Reddy was most sought after players in the Chennai league circuit and he had carved a niche for himself as a reliable opener. “I like his attitude. The bowlers have to earn his wicket. He loves to play the waiting game. Unfortunately, Prasad Reddy could not go beyond Duleep and Deodhar trophy,” he regrets.
Known as ‘Puli’ (tiger in telugu) in the dressing room, Prasad Reddy still has three more games against Hyderabad, Bengal and Baroda and one has to wait and see how many more centuries he will muster against his rivals.
In the first three matches he has already mustered around 400 runs.
Andhra coach Syed Abid Ali could not hide his exuberance at Anantapur as he highlighted the singular most important quality of L. N. Prasad Reddy in the longer version of the game. “Patience is Prasad’s hallmark,” he quips.
J. R. SHRIDHARAN
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Metro Plus
Bangalore
Chennai
Coimbatore
Delhi
Hyderabad
Kochi
Madurai
Mangalore
Puducherry
Tiruchirapalli
Thiruvananthapuram
Vijayawada
Visakhapatnam
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