CHENNAI: Adilabad district in Telangana is a tourists' paradise. Home to the Kuntala Waterfall — the state's highest waterfall — the district is also reportedly home to more than three lakh tribal population.
If one were to list the favourite sport in this district, kho-kho and kabaddi would be at the top two. Cricket, interestingly, was a recreational sport played within clubs, as no one took it up professionally, until a boy, who made the gullies his own, aimed for higher glory and scripted history by putting his district on the cricketing map. That boy is Kodimela Himateja.
Last year, he became the first player from the district to play for Hyderabad in the Ranji Trophy. He amassed 523 runs, including an unbeaten ton against Rajasthan at Jaipur in November 2024, in his first Ranji season. Post his good outing in the tournament, the district has seen exponential growth in popularity of the sport, as many youngsters now want to professionally pursue cricket.
"Children are more interested in pursuing cricket as a career. It is also an added responsibility on me to keep inspiring more people," Himateja told this daily. The left-handed batter helped Hyderabad win the Buchi Babu title last year and will be eager to help them retain it this year as his side entered the final once again beating Haryana in the semifinal on Wednesday. They will face TNCA President's XI in the final starting on Saturday.
The 23-year-old cricketer was more than happy to highlight positive changes his Ranji debut has brought in Adilabad. "The thought process has changed a lot. Before the start of the last season, I could see only around 60 people turn up for the summer camp. After my Ranji Trophy debut, that number went up to 160-180. Half of them have not seen me, but they keep asking my coach 'is this where Himateja has practiced'. I feel like I have done something for the district," he said.
It all started for fun as Himateja, whose parents are government teachers, would find ways to play the game — be it in the gully or terrace of his house. "I started out playing for fun. I would play cricket every day," he said. He hardly knew anything about a state cricket board and how the sport can be taken up professionally. "It was all about club cricket in Adilabad. We mostly played T20 cricket." As he kept smashing it for his club, Teja finally got called up for trials to select the district team. "There, I got to know that there is a board which conducts matches to pick the state team. I then realised that the one-dayers and the multi-day matches are more important."
He started playing for his district association in Hyderabad's division leagues. "I started playing two-day matches in 2017 and continued with it for three years. In that period, I tried to play three-day games but it turned out to be difficult for me."
After the first wave of Covid in 2020, he started putting consistent performances in three-day tournaments but had to wait for his chance. Despite a lot of left-hand batters competing against him, Himateja stood out with his impressive show in both club and age group cricket. He led the U23 side, and notched 851 runs in the 2023/24 CK Nayudu Trophy, including a sensational 299 against Baroda in January 2024. His campaign earned him a call-up to the NCA High performance camp at Surat for U23 players. And then the 2024 edition of Buchi Babu happened. Hyderabad won the title with Himateja contributing to the team's cause, which in turn helped him find a place in the Ranji squad.
Cricket now taken more seriously in Adilabad: Coach
At the age of nine, Himateja joined coach Jayendra Pataskar's cricket academy located at the Little Flower English School in Adilabad. Pataskar, who hails from the district, revealed that he missed out on playing for Vidarbha as an off-spinner in 1995, despite being part of the squad.
"Considering the fact this is a backward district and nobody in decades had been selected to play for Hyderabad, Himateja's achievement is a huge one," the coach told this daily. "At 10, he scored 60 runs in a match played under the School Games Federation of India tournament. It was then I realised he can become a good cricketer."
The coach said wards at his academy are motivated to do better after Himateja's Hyderabad debut. "Three boys, including my son Kashyap, have now played in BCCI tournaments. Players from a small town like Adilabad going on to represent teams like Vidarbha, Chhattisgarh and Hyderabad is a proud moment for us," the coach added. Children these days are now aiming to become full-time cricketers, with parents considering it a viable future option according to Pataskar. "New facilities have come up. Indoor academies and astro turfs have sprung up," the coach said.