QUEEN'S ROAD:Abhishek Manik Reddy, 20, who has been rising up the ranks steadily, has made his bat do all the talking. Should the Bidar-born right hand batsman continue in the same vein, the talk is bound to grow louder and attract big talent scouts.
Skipper of the Karnataka under-19 and under-23 teams, Abhishek has been a prolific batsman at his level. He can also produce decent spinning stuff and is also a good fielder in the outfield.
He was given the most valuable bowler award for his performances in the Cooch Behar Trophy and was considered the most valuable batsman for his showing in the Vinoo Mankad Trophy by the Karnataka State Cricket Association.
Abhishek has scored a total of 3,420 runs in 42 completed innings at an average of 81.42 embellished with 15 centuries. And if that wasn’t proof enough of his prowess, Abhishek struck six hundreds in 10 innings to amass 938 runs in the on-going C K Nayadu Trophy (Under-23) tournament conducted by the BCCI. And all of this only since December 2014. Abhishek has had some exposure already at senior level when he replaced an injured Robin Uthappa in the Buchi Babu Trophy in Chennai and scored an unbeaten 45 against Bengal. As Robin came back into the team, Abhishek had to warm the benches.
Abhishek represented the KSCA Colts in the Safi Darashah all-India tournament and scored 447 runs in six outings with two tons to boot. He had a three figure score against Saurashtra and Haryana and a 90 vs Orissa.
Abhishek plays for Bangalore Occasionals in the local league and made valuable contributions in the club gaining promotions from the lower rungs. The lad was part of the Belgavi Panthers in the Karnataka premier League as well.
The state selectors picked probables for the Ranji Trophy this year but with the quality of players at their disposal, they could not find a place for him in the team. Probably, they thought that he still had a lot of time on his side and there was no hurry. His time is bound to come as long as his bat does the talking. The coaches are effusive in his praise and not without reason.