More than a decade ago, N. Arjun Yadav representing Hyderabad and Ambati Rayudu playing for Andhra were in news for all the wrong reasons—for their brawl on the cricket field during a Ranji Trophy game in Anantapur.
But at the Rajiv Gandhi Stadium here on Thursday, they were all smiles, sharing moments of joy after HCA XI’s impressive win over Air India in the Moin-ud-Dowla Gold Cup Cricket Tournament. Reason? Arjun is the coach of the victorious team and Rayudu the captain.
“The more people try to pull us down, the more determined we are to prove them wrong. What happened then was past. It was one of those incidents which happened when we were young,” insists a beaming Arjun, after clearly proving a point to his detractors by guiding the young team to its title-triumph in its first major event of the season.
Even Rayudu is all excited at the performance of his team. “I am thrilled with the way the boys responded. I enjoyed every moment of being with them. There is so much determination to do better this time around,” he said after the final match on Thursday. “It’s a great start to the season for Hyderabad and I am really confident, if not complacent, that we will be a force to reckon with this season given the wonderful balance we have in all departments of the game,” Rayudu said.
The way Rayudu mixed with the players clearly brushing aside his star status having rubbed shoulders with the likes of cricketing great Sachin Tendulkar and Ricky Ponting, it was a treat to watch. Clearly, he is enjoying his captaincy, engaging himself in frequent, long chats with the bowlers and the batters too to get the best out of them. It has to be seen if Hyderabad makes a big impact this season.