Vidya Yadav joins the select band of Hyderabadis who donned the role of Indian cricket team managers over the years with distinction. The only difference is that Vidya will be the manager of the Indian women's team that will be touring England for the T-20 World Cup in May this summer. Vidya, sister of BCCI vice-president N. Shivlal Yadav, insists that the assignment is not only a huge honour but at the same time a big challenge in itself.
Aware of the nuances
“As someone who has been involved in the promotion of women's cricket since two decades , I am pretty aware of the nuances of the job and also what the players expect from me,” says the former Hyderabad women's cricketer who quit competitive cricket in 90s.
That she joins the likes of P.R. Man Singh (manager of 1983 World Cup winning team), M. Ranga Reddy, N. Shivlal Yadav, M. V. Sridhar and the latest of them all Arshad Ayub (manager of Indian team for the recent tour to Bangladesh) is perhaps a recognition of her contribution to the sportThe fact that the Indian team for T-20 World Cup comprises three City cricketers – the most famous of them being Mithali Raj, Gouher Sultana and Diana David – should also help Vidya to handle it with far more ease.
“It is definitely a matter of pride that this Indian team has three quality cricketers from Hyderabad. I believe that this World Cup might well see Mithali break new records given the form she is in,” asserts the manager-designate. How good is this Indian team? “If the performance against England in the recent home series is any indication, then we are bound to pull off a few surprises. We have talent and experience and it is only a question of translating the potential into performance,” Vidya explains.
With the Indian team scheduled to have the second phase of the preparatory camp in the second week of April, Vidya is bound to have a personal rapport before the team actually leaves for England. “It should not be a bad idea to meet these players well ahead of the tour to know what exactly they expect from me and let me prepare myself to handling various assignments on the tour,” she points out.
“I just hope that I would try to maintain the wonderful tradition gentlemen-managers from Hyderabad have set over the years. This is a big challenge and I am ready to face it,” signs off Vidya before getting into the preparatory mode for the big tour ahead.
