da wazamba： Hemang Badani is not like any other youngster who has made it big inIndian cricket in the recent past
da pinnacle： Anand Vasu20-Feb-2001Hemang Badani is not like any other youngster who has made it big inIndian cricket in the recent past. There have been some very excitingtalents, none more so than Yuvraj Singh, who burst onto the scene madea big impression and slowly fizzled away. Perhaps some of them werenot fully mentally prepared for the big league. Clearly Badani hasbeen an exception in this regard. After playing his debut ODI againstBangladesh in the Asia Cup where he made a compact 35, Badani foundhimself in and out of the team. This was so only because the teamcomposition dictated it. The selectors were quick to agree that it wasno reflection on his ability or performance.”Obviously it is a dream come true. There’s no two ways about that. Itis every young cricketer’s dream to play for the country in both formsof the game,” said an excited Badani on hearing the news of hisinclusion in the first Test squad to play Australia at Mumbai. Havingnot heard the news before, the excitement in his voice was palpable,the tremor unmistakable. Yet, Badani remained remarkably calm. “It allstarted with the knock I played in the Ranji Trophy semifinal againstMumbai. That one big score I made set the ball rolling. The 162against Mumbai showed I could play long innings,” said the southpaw.Although Badani said it would be a challenge to play against an allconquering side like the current Australian side, he was unruffled byreputations. “The Australians have played tremendous cricket to win somany games on the trot. You have to appreciate that. But now they arehere in India and it will not be easy for them,” explained Badani.”Playing in India is a completely different ball game, you have toacknowledge that. Since we are so used to playing in these conditionswe definitely have the advantage,” concluded Badani.In the recently concluded NKP Salve Challenger Trophy Badani made achanceless 104 (off just 87 balls) after coming in with the score on76/4 chasing 312. The southpaw batted India Seniors through in finestyle with a knock of tremendous poise. In that particular inningsBadani repeatedly came down the wicket to the spinners and lofted theball effortlessly for six. Will he adopt the same approach evenagainst someone like Shane Warne? “My greatest strength is that I playmy natural game at all times. You obviously have to make slightchanges to adapt to the longer version of the game,” said Badani. Andit would be no different if the bowler was Warne or a club bowler inhis native Chennai. “If the ball is there to be hit and the situationdemands it, I will go for my shots. I don’t believe in looking at thenames of the people involved. It’s the quality of the ball thatcounts. It’s that simple and I like to keep it that way,” said Badani.If any confirmation was needed of Badani’s maturity as a cricketer andas an individual, it is now there for all to see.
