Ambati Rayudu finally and deservedly revels on the big stage

A little over a month after his 29th birthday, Ambati Rayudu has finally realized his long-cherished dream of unbuckling the strap of his helmet, raising his bat and soaking in the adulation of spectators appreciating a fine century, this while donning the blue Indian flannels — a garb that at one point appeared to be way beyond his reach owing to reasons that digressed from cricket.

People in Hyderabad’s domestic circles, even in the lowest rungs of league cricket in the region, never once doubted the materialization of this moment. Rayudu was a prodigy. But the palpable delay was exasperating, although they would have all cherished his unbeaten ton last evening against Sri Lanka, while breathing a collective sigh of relief.

Rayudu was placed at the helm of the Under-19 side as a young cricketer riding on some splendid performances for Hyderabad at the time. Suresh Raina, perhaps India’s most accomplished limited-overs player at the moment, was a part of the entourage led by the former. The others were players the likes of Shikhar Dhawan, Dinesh Karthik and Irfan Pathan. Such renowned was Rayudu’s talent that many in the cricketing fraternity, some holding formidable posts, believed the next Sachin Tendulkar had been unearthed. The grace may be missing but that grit the maestro housed was apparent.

It was at this stage of his blossoming career that a fallout with the powers that be of Hyderabad cricket significantly stifled his dream of breaking into the first-rate side. Rayudu slowly faded into near-obscurity.

Clearly unhappy with the atmosphere in his domestic side, Rayudu traversed a more ominous path by taking part in the then ostracized, now defunct, Indian Cricket League (ICL). That move, one felt, quashed any dream Rayudu harboured of donning Indian colours. Nonetheless, circumstances flipped, as they always do. Such talent seldom goes unnoticed; Baroda in the Ranji Trophy and the Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Mumbai Indians (MI) were the first to spot his potential. By 2010-11, he was back in reckoning for every batsman slot available in a multitude of top teams. However, what got him through that strenuous phase can’t be attributed to talent alone. It’s his work ethic that often doesn’t get the due it deserves.

A journalist friend of mine, who around 2010-11 was a ball boy for a practice match arranged by the Mumbai Indians (MI), recounts his first impression of Rayudu. Watching from the boundary, he says he was amazed by this batsman who took the bowlers to the cleaners by employing almost every shot in his repertoire. After asking around, he was told of Rayudu and the immense talent he possessed. “Rayudu made fifty and got out [in that game]. He was absolutely livid with himself; totally annoyed. I was amazed at the fact that even in a practice match he wanted to go on and on. There was this [evident] hunger,” he says.

The intense Rayudu on the field appears to be quite relaxed off it. We frequented the same gym in Hyderabad and I’ve hardly ever seen him not wear a smile. But that is perhaps a direct result of the shot in the arm his career has received after stints with Baroda and MI. He has often made public his gratitude to the coaches of both these teams, and also to Tendulkar, who Rayudu considers to be a major influence in his process of revival.

In the July of 2013, when he made his debut for India albeit in a low-profile series, some may have felt Rayudu stood vindicated, whereas some others felt it was too little too late. The onus, though, was on Rayudu to carve a niche. An unbeaten 63 alongside Virat Kohli in his first outing proved that he belonged to the stage, but the unbeaten 121 against Sri Lanka is what will propel his standing. He’s now on track to earn a berth for the 2015 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand — a venue at which he fared well this August on a tour with the India ‘A’ side.

You would think Rayudu deserved to feature in two of the previous World Cups, too, nevertheless the moment may well arrive sooner than later. Perhaps Virat Kohli’s words, when asked about Rayudu’s promotion in the batting order, aptly sums up what many feel: “Rayudu is a great player, he's been around for a while. It's all about giving him that opportunity to bat at No. 3. I just told him today that whatever you are doing now is what you deserved 12 years back."