Rayudu gets ready to step up to the big league
When you first meet Ambati Rayudu, you can scarcely believe that he's the person who got so many rave reviews in his first full season of domestic cricket
Roving Reporter by Dileep Premachandran
22-Jun-2003
When you first meet Ambati Rayudu, you can scarcely
believe that he's the person who got so many rave
reviews in his first full season of domestic cricket.
The last thing you expect, even for someone who will
only turn 18 this September, is a slip of a kid. And
there's an unease about him which suggests that media
management classes haven't yet begun - just as well
because his answers resonate with an earnestness that
is light years removed from the manufactured b£"&
you're usually served up on these occasions.
Rayudu is used to the NCA ambience, having spent three
sessions there over the past three years. He speaks
quietly and earnestly about how it has benefited him,
about the confidence that he has gained as a result.
"The coaches let you play your natural game," he says,
"and even when they correct you, it's more an
observation. You're taught to study your own game, and
analyse its strengths and weaknesses."
He is the youngest member of the A team heading for
England, yet you'd more likely find blood oozing out
of stone than you would any trace of nervousness in
his demeanour. "It's a pretty long tour," he says,
"about 45 days." He has good memories of time spent in
England last year, especially the remarkable 177 he
scored to win a game for the U-19s against their
English counterparts. "It's probably the best country
to play cricket in," he says, with no preamble or
explanation.
And what of his team-mates? Does the fact that he's
the babe of the team worry him at all? "Oh no, I
haven't even thought of that," he tells you. There's a
barely-suppressed confidence about him that brings
back memories of Sachin Tendulkar at a similar age,
also a hint that he would rather be anywhere but here,
answering questions.
Rayudu was guided into cricket by his father, who made
sure his son went for coaching classes almost as soon
as he could grip a bat properly. He realised that he
had a real aptitude for the game when he was around 12
or 13, though he insists he has never put pressure on
himself to achieve targets. What about a place in the
Indian senior side someday soon? "I don't think of
those things," he tells you solemnly. "I just want to
bat as well as I can. I'm not going to worry about the
rest."
Having witnessed his composure and shot selection in
the nets earlier, you have to admit that it's a wise
policy. And a voice in your ear tells you he won't
have to wait, or worry, inordinately long for that
senior call-up.