Published: Apr 28, 2011, 11:29 AM (IST)
Edited: Aug 20, 2014, 11:06 PM (IST)
By Nishad Pai Vaidya
In my last article I stressed on the need to pick Rohit Sharma and Ravindra Jadeja for the tour to the West Indies. With a few senior players asking to be rested it is an ideal time to give opportunities to some promising youngsters. Most people are talking about the likes of Robin Uthappa, Paul Valthaty, Rohit Sharma, Ravindra Jadeja, Manoj Tiwary etc, but there is one batsman who is doing really well in this IPL and yet going unnoticed – Subramaniam Badrinath.
Badrinath has been a very consistent player for Tamil Nadu in the domestic cricket. He is now proving to be very useful for the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the IPL. His record in first-class cricket speaks volumes of his talent with the bat. In 97 first-class games he has amassed 7478 runs at an awesome average of 62.31. It underlines the consistency with which he has been scoring runs.
Unfortunately for Badrinath, the first half of his career came at a time when the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman, Sourav Ganguly, Virender Sehwag and Rahul Dravid made the Indian batting line-up really potent. Thus, despite being amongst the top run getters in domestic cricket, the call up was tough to come by for Badrinath. He was first picked in the year 2007 for the ODI series against Australia. Since then he has been in the reserves of the Test squad on quite a few occasions.
He made his ODI debut against Sri Lanka at Dambulla in August 2008. On his debut, he displayed a lot of maturity against the then unreadable Ajantha Mendis on a tough pitch and played a crucial role in seeing India through to victory. However, he did not perform in his next two ODIs and hasn’t been in the blues for India since.
Badrinath continued to be a part of the Test squads for quite a few series and his dream turned to reality when he made his Test debut against South Africa when they toured India in early 2010. This was mainly because Yuvraj Singh, Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman were out injured; nevertheless it was a chance to play for India. His first innings for India in whites was a real test as he faced a red-hot Dale Steyn who was looking to run through the Indian batting. Badrinath scored a patient 56. His next two innings in Test cricket did not yield too many runs and once the regulars were back, he had to go back to the bench.
In IPL4 we are seeing a new Badrinath. In previous editions of the T20 league he had scored runs but without being consistent. This time around he is showing a lot more consistency and getting the runs at a very good strike rate. He is one of the few players in T20s who bats in the classical way and yet manages to score runs at a brisk rate. It’s a sight for sore eyes to see such a batsman.
Badrinath is making the opportunity count again as he did when he played for India A in various tournaments. This may be the right to give him another look-in. Who knows, India may find a real solid batsman in the middle order.
The current Indian batting line-up is really strong and it next to impossible to replace any of them as each of them brings something unique to the side. It is not just ODI cricket that India should keep in mind while building bench strength, but even Test cricket. Dravid, Tendulkar and Laxman are not going to be around forever and it is important that India has enough players to replace them once they call it a day.
Badrinath has touched 30 and is not exactly young but as Tendulkar said at the end of the World Cup final, “It is never too late for anything.” Who knows, maybe this time around he may turn out to be very successful at the highest level. Michael Hussey made his debut for Australia at the age of 28. But he became a regular only when he crossed 30. And what a player he has turned out to be!
Badrinath has a lot of first class, A-team and IPL experience. All of this would have made him accustomed to handling pressure. Indian selectors have preferred to select younger players over him on many an occasion. Maybe it is time to give him a longer run in the side. Maybe it is time to make an exception to the pro-youngsters policy and allow a tried and tested talent at the domestic level to make his mark in internationals. Badrinath has a lot to offer to Indian cricket.
(Nishad Pai Vaidya, a 20-year-old law student, is a club and college-level cricketer. His teachers always complain, “He knows the stats and facts of cricket more than the subjects we teach him.”)
