It was in the fourth week of May 2000 that the Indian team for theAsia Cup in Dhaka was selected
Santhosh S25-May-2001It was in the fourth week of May 2000 that the Indian team for theAsia Cup in Dhaka was selected. He got the nod ahead of Vinod Kambliwho had scored runs in the tonnes in the Deodhar Trophy. Badani didimpress the Chairman of selectors Chandu Borde and the Indian teamcoach Kapil Dev, who said, “Badani is the most outstanding youngplayer in the camp.”Badani took the chances that came to him with both his hands. In thespan of a year he represented India in 13 One-Day internationals andhas scored 405 runs at a fantastic average of 40.50. In just thefourth ODI of his career, playing at Cuttack against Zimbabwe heplayed a match winning knock of 58 not out and became the Man of theMatch, cementing his place in the ODI squad amongst the likes ofSachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid in the middle order.Badani scored a scintillating 100 in just 97 balls against thevisiting Australian side at Pune and distanced himself away from allthe competition for the number five slot in One-Day Internationals.His brilliance in the field has also not gone unnoticed. Credit shouldgo to Badani for making most of the opportunity, given the fact thatthe competition for the place in the ODI team comes from a none-tooless talented player Yuvraj Singh.The left-handed batsman from Tamil Nadu will be the first person toadmit that he doesn’t see much of an opportunity coming his way whenit comes to breaking into the Indian Test team. With four world-classbatsmen occupying the Indian middle order, Badani must have beenthinking about playing in ODIs alone.Badani has always remained positive about his chances. He said, “Ithink I’ve done well in the one-dayers so far. When I did consistentlywell in the domestics I was picked to play the one-dayers. SimilarlyI’m sure I’ll be picked to play Test cricket for India.” It did notcome as a surprise when the selectors named him in the Test squad forthe Zimbabwe series. Now that he is in the reserves of the side, allhe can do is to hope for an opportunity to come his way and do morethan his best.For his maiden tour with the Indian senior team he has his mindfocused on the job. He says, “”However much you’ve played against paceand swing bowling here it’s bound to be different in a place likeZimbabwe. I admit that. But it’s nothing a good batsman can’t adaptto,” says Badani confidently. “If your mind is not ready and you’renot concentrating hard enough, then you’re bound to struggle. Mentallyyou have to be ready to implement some technical changes. You have tolearn to let the ball go more and more often. You can’t play throughthe line of the ball as easily as you do here in the subcontinent.”In the span of one year, Indian cricket is definitely richer with thepresence of Badani in the Indian Test squad. It has been a phenomenalyear of success for the soft-spoken Hemang Badani who could inspire awhole new generation of young batsmen in India.