The bone-chilling Delhi winter has already thrown survival challenges at the residents of the city. The national capital has officially turned more freezing than several North Indian hill stations and the cold waves are taking a heavy toll on the common man. While most of us are hesitant to even step out in this chilly atmosphere, the cricket team of Andhra Pradesh is defying the odds and giving their best in the Ranji Trophy Elite Group B game against hosts Delhi.
The Hanuma Vihari-led side found totally different conditions to start with against Delhi. Excessive cold and dense fog were no less than a hurdle to cross. The beanies, body warmers and a regular supply of hot cups of tea at the Arun Jaitley Stadium made their lives a bit easier. Though the temperature went up a little bit on days 2 and 3, the morning sessions were no different on any day.
Following the end of the penultimate day’s play, Andhra wicketkeeper-batter KS Bharat opened up on how the team is coping with the Delhi weather. Answering a News18 Cricketnext query, he said, “The morning 1-2 hours is a big deal for us," said Bharat, rubbing his palms. The wicketkeeper-batter has also played in overseas conditions but believes that the national capital weather is unmatchable."
“It’s cold [in foreign countries], but here it’s… a bit too much. The first two overs are really tough. In terms of pollution, it’s better now but the cold…," he added and chuckled.
It was an important game for the visitors; they needed to keep the weather out of the equation. Fighting with the natural circumstances, the Andhra players came up with some resilient knocks and the innings saw a total of five fifty-plus scores in the first innings.
The likes of CR Gnaneshwar (81) and skipper Hanuma Vihari (85) helped the side build a solid base and then Bharat (80), Nitish Reddy (66) and Shoaib Mohammad Khan (78) took the baton further as Andhra declared at 459 for 9 after taming the Delhi bowler for straight two days.
Bharat’s grit and a 68-run stand with Reddy for the sixth wicket was one of the factors that hurt a fragile Delhi bowling attack in their own backyard. Taking a cue from his captain, the 29-year-old scored 80 runs off 130 deliveries with the help of 8 boundaries and a six.
“When I walked in, I wanted to get the hand of the pace of the wicket. As a batter, it’s very important to know how the wicket is behaving so then only, you can pick your shots. So for me, shot selection was very important. So, I went in, I was taking time to play to the merit of the ball and that allowed me to set my eye on the ball.
“Once I was settled, I played a little faster post-lunch. But cricket is a game where one has to get out and so was I. But yes, they bowled well," said Bharat while answering a News18 Cricketnext question.
Bharat is in line for making his Test debut next month when Australia arrive in India for the Border-Gavaskar trophy next month. As Rishabh Pant misses out due to the injuries he suffered in a gruesome car crash, the Andhra wicketkeeper-batter, in all likelihood, will be pushed to fit in the role.
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People have known Pant as a game-changer when it comes to the red-ball format. His heroics in Australia are still remembered and recently, he played a huge role in boosting the Indian innings against Bangladesh in the Chattogram Test. His absence is definitely going to pinch Team India as they look to consolidate their position in the World Test Championship final. For Bharat, it’s going to be a challenge to match up that level of batting if he is handed his debut cap. However, the Andhra cricketer feels be it batting or keeping, he is ready!
“I have always considered myself as 100 per cent keeper and 100 per cent batter. I don’t consider myself a 70 per cent batter or a 30 per cent keeper. Whenever I walk into the field, I am as good as an opening batter and whenever I keep, I think that I am the best keeper in whatever conditions are there or circumstances," Bharat said.
“Whatever the game demands, you have to step up. You cannot say you are only a T20 specialist or can play in one fashion. I have been fortunate to understand that from an early age. If a Test match is to be drawn and I have to bat four hours straight, then I have to do that or if the team is chasing on day four, needing 100 off 10 overs, I have to hit with that strike rate so that the team benefits," he added.
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