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His bat does the talking
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Ravi Teja is a commendable all-rounder in the making
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Photo: K. Ramesh Babu
Dasher-dapper Ravi Teja
Yet another season has ended on a note of despair for Hyderabad. Hopes were raised at the start of 2007 Ranji Trophy campaign but vanished into thin air by the end. But, for dasher-dapper Dwaraka Ravi Teja it can turn out to be just the beginning. Fo
r, he stood apart from the rest of the crowd by the sheer weight of his splendid batting. Not surprisingly, he can look ahead with lots of hope even as his team survived by a whisker the ignominy of being relegated from the Elite Group to Plate Group, thanks to Andhra’s outright win over Bengal in the crucial final round league match.
The 20-year-old Ravi Teja was the leading scorer with 653 runs from six matches, with two centuries and four fifties, a consistency which would have done many seniors proud. In fact, he emerged the third highest scorer in Ranji Trophy this season after Cheteshwar Pujara of Sarasota (796 runs from seven matches), S. Badrinath of Tamil Nadu (659 runs from seven matches) and this speaks of the efficacy of Ravi at the top.
Well, his father Krishnamurthy is into foreign exchange business and not surprisingly, son Ravi Teja exchanges runs for loose balls. This B.Com second year student from SP College (Secunderabad) has set a simple, immediate target - to play for India ‘A’ and then think of the rest. “I owe a lot to my parents - father and mother Padma - for their continuous support,” he reminds.
Coached by Appa Rao, this future champion is only hoping for the good run to continue when the Duleep and the Deodhar Trophies are round the corner. “Obviously, I am keen to convert the good starts into big hundreds to make my presence felt,” he says.
If proof was needed of his growing stature in domestic cricket, the breathtaking century against Uttar Pradesh (in the last league match) which had its ranks India stars Praveen Kumar and Piyush Chawla (who was incidentally his India under-19 captain) provided this in plenty. The touch of authority complemented with an amazing stroke selection were characteristic features of his batting. The way he leans into those flowing off-drives or pulls non-chalantly were a sight which the purists would not hesitate to go distances to watch.
“Somehow, I hate the prospect of bowlers dominating me,” is the reply from the unobtrusive Ravi Teja. This opening batsman is clearly in the mood to enjoy the opener’s slot for it also gives him a perfect platform to be consistent. “No doubt, I have enjoyed a wonderful season but it would have been much better if my team were to reach the knockout phase,” he asserts. Well, for that Hyderabad needed collective effort which was missing. For apart from Ravi Teja, the only others who showed a touch of class were captain N. Arjun Yadav, who has arguably was batting at his best in terms of sheer confidence and placement of his strokes.
Importantly, Ravi is a thinking cricketer despite all the flamboyance with the bat. An effective part-time slow bowler to break partnerships, he has all the features to be a very good all-rounder . No doubt, he has to be careful in stroke-selection. It is imperative for him to realise that runs do not come only through boundaries in a first-class match.
There is a strong need to temper his urge to dominate without actually being submissive. A perfect combination of aggression and caution when the situation demands can take this gifted batsman to places. For someone who admires Aussie Michael Clarke for his batting style, Ravi Teja, who already played for India under-19, is all set to go to places if only he is consistent.
V.V.S
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