It was a dark start to the press conference by Hyderabad Cricket Academy of Excellence (HCAE) Director M.V. Narasimha Rao at the Hyderabad Cricket Association office in Secunderabad’s Gymkhana Grounds on Friday.
The place was without power supply but the laptop battery-driven presentation had quite a few bright spots.
“Our biggest achievement has been the Ranji squad’s return to the Elite division. So are we happy with the selection of Mohammed Siraj, C.V. Milind and Tanmay Agarwal in the IPL, who still train with us when they are in town. We fell at the last hurdle of the T20 tournament, finishing second. That we were found by many to be the best fast-bowling side was a feather in our cap,” said the former captain, who led Hyderabad to Ranji Trophy triumph in the 1986-87 season.
The age group performances also came in for praise. “Ravi Teja, Rohit Rayudu and Thyagarajan were developing well as all-rounders in the under 23 squad. Nitish Reddy and Vinith Reddy’s opening stand of 475 was a record in the under 19 competition,” said Rao.
So was Chandan Sahni’s batting primed for the India Under-19 squad when his bowling action was declared suspect. “Although the Under-16 team trained with us for just three months, it reached the semis. Tilak Varma with over 900 runs was the tournament’s top scorer,” exulted the former coach with the boards of England and Ireland.
Scientific preparation and fitness programmes ensured no fast bowler was injured through the long and taxing Ranji season. Although they hadn’t received salaries in a while, the coaching and support staff had remained committed to the cause. “Six coaches have been made permanent in a system put in place that can run quite independently,” said the former unorthodox leg-spinner.
Looking back, there were incomplete tasks, mostly stemming from a weak economic base that adversely affected the superstructure of plans and programmes. “The bio-mechanics scheme in association with a corporate hospital didn’t happen due to a dearth of funds. So did the spinners scheme not fructify as the pace bowlers project did,” he accepted.
‘Bobjee’ as he is popularly known, signed off with a couple of appeals. “A sponsor to underwrite the academy’s costs would do wonders. I’ll also be grateful if my missing Member of the British Empire (MBE) medal presented by Queen Elizabeth II is returned to me,” he said.
