ADILABAD: While Hyderabad hums with cricket academies and scouting networks, much of Telangana’s district talent has grown up on empty grounds — driven by ambition but starved of opportunity. That imbalance is now being challenged on the outskirts of Adilabad, where a Grade I coach has built the state’s first professional turf wicket outside the capital.
For years, aspiring cricketers from districts such as the erstwhile Adilabad lacked access to quality facilities and structured coaching. The cost of training in Hyderabad proved prohibitive, and pathways to higher platforms remained out of reach. “Talent was there, but the platform was missing,” Grade I coach P Narotham Reddy tells TNIE.
Determined to address what he once faced himself, Narotham has set up a cricket academy with a 75-yard turf wicket, developed using inputs from Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) curators. The facility is designed to host state, national and even international-level matches and training camps, making it only the second such ground in Telangana after Hyderabad.
“I couldn’t pursue cricket at the national or international level because I lacked proper facilities and couldn’t afford the expenses,” the coach says. “This academy is about ensuring district players don’t face the same barriers.”
The absence of infrastructure has long meant that districts rarely feature in elite cricket. According to Narotham, the Hyderabad Cricket Association, which largely operates within the capital, has historically drawn few players from outside Hyderabad. From the region, only Hima Teja — who moved to Hyderabad for training — went on to play in the Ranji Trophy.
With platforms such as the Indian Premier League, Ranji Trophy and other state tournaments now offering clearer pathways, Narotham believes districts must be prepared. “Opportunities exist today, but without structured practice and guidance, players cannot reach them,” he says.
The academy’s aim is simple: to ensure district talent trains on equal footing and competes for places at higher levels. “If associations step in to coordinate tournaments and camps here, this can become a genuine launchpad for state and national cricket,” the coach adds.
For young players in Adilabad, the silence of empty fields may finally be giving way to the sound of leather on turf.