Hyderabad in blue

For his first game as a Team India player at home, Rayudu returns to land of birth as the side’s form-man.

Since England, where he got a chance after Rohit Sharma hurt himself in the 2nd ODI, Rayudu is averaging 80.5 with one century and two fifties in the last 7 innings. (Source: PTI)

If a batsman gets out for one and zero in his debut first-class match, there is one silver lining he may choose to look at: that things will only be better the next time. And if you are a precocious 17-year old, which Ambati Rayudu was many a moon ago, there will surely be a next time.

After a disastrous Ranji Trophy debut against Mumbai in 2002, Hyderabad’s Rayudu went on to score a sensational 210 and 159 in the second match against Andhra in the week that followed. It was a monumental performance at his home ground, a display of pure authority on what was a tricky track. And it came in front of anticipating fans and media, who had learnt of his exploits with the junior team in England and who had heard the pundits causally dropping the “next big thing” phrase in his context.

With there being only one reference point in Indian cricket over the last couple of decades, it automatically meant, the “next Sachin Tendulkar”.

The whispers therefore were right, they would have thought after those twin knocks. But there could also be a flip side of scoring 369 quality runs in only your second match: things will most likely go down from there. In his case, they did.

Rayudu’s story is of a combustible combination of talent and a volatile temperament that, together with a few questionable choices down the road, nearly consumed his career. Barely 19, he was leading India at the junior ICC World Cup in Bangladesh. Among others under him were Suresh Raina, Shikhar Dhawan, Robin Uthappa, Dinesh Karthik, RP Singh, Irfan Pathan and Piyush Chawla. This is one diverse list. It has senior World Cup winners, core of the current national team and India has-beens. And they all made it big ahead of Rayudu, who made his India debut last year.

Among his other peers from Bangladesh 2004 is Alastair Cook, who was captaining England. He has played 109 Tests and scored 29 international hundreds. Rayudu is yet to play a Test and scored his first international hundred only on Thursday.

The turn

But if it’s in part a cautionary tale, it’s also redemptive and inspirational one. Age and experience have mellowed his temperament just enough to make it an asset. He now looks calm and composed at the crease and scores consistently, no matter which position he is batting at. And he has batted in the top, middle and lower order recently. Since England, where he got a chance after Rohit Sharma hurt himself in the second ODI at Cardiff, Rayudu is averaging 80.50, with one century and two fifties in the last seven innings.

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His 121* against Sri Lanka came after walking in at No.3 at a time when the medium pacers seemed on top after dismissing Ajinkya Rahane cheaply. Virat Kohli held himself back and promoted Rayudu. It was both a strategic move and a symbolic gesture, as Kohli later explained.

“It’s just giving the guys a bit of belief and confidence from my end, Duncan and the management as well, to go out there and perform, and the guys have responded beautifully so far,” he said. “Rayudu was in the India A team 12 years back, and it’s all about giving him the opportunity that he deserved, and he made full use of that. We are treating every game as the last game of the series. That’s the kind of culture we’re building in this team.”

The next “last game” is in Hyderabad on Sunday. Twelve years ago, there was a false dawn for Rayudu in this city. He will try to ensure this one isn’t, with another good knock in what will be his first international match at his home ground. In any case, probability wise, 121 is more repeat-able than 210 & 159.

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