CHENNAI: When SV Rahul walked out to bat on his Ranji debut against Karnataka on Monday, Andhra were in a tricky position. The scoreboard read 92/4 against Karnataka's 274 as the 19-year-old took guard for the first time in a first-class match for his state.
Even as he was settling in, Rahul saw Shaik Rasheed get out as Andhra slumped further to 116/5. Rahul, however, was not going to let go of his first chance at the big stage as he was joined by Revanth Reddy.
The left-hand batter, along with Revanth, built a partnership to revive the innings. The duo, having batted together enough in age-group level for Andhra, batted time and runs started coming. First they crossed fifties and then came the moment. Rahul crossed the triple figures for the first time at this level as they added 202 runs for the sixth wicket. When it looked like Revanth too would get to his ton, he fell three runs short. Rahul saw the team through to stumps and remained unbeaten on 108 as he helped the team secure a 74-run on Day 2.
While he was strolling along with ease in Mulapadu, hundreds of kilometres away S Prasad Rao was refreshing scorecard online to keep a tab on his son. Rahul playing cricket was his dream as much as it is of the teenager. Though his father had played some cricket, he could not continue with the dream of pursuing it. Rahul spent his early years of childhood watching Prasad play local and office matches and it did not take long before he fell in love with the sport. Rahul, who was born in East Godavari before moving to Visakhapatnam because of his father's job, picked up the bat at the age of eight thanks to Prasad. And from the moment he did, he batted left-handed despite being a right hander by nature. Soon, Yuvraj Singh became his inspiration as he and Prasad worked towards the cricketing dream.
"It started as fun and later became a profession. My dad supported me a lot at that time because he loves playing cricket and wanted to see me play the sport too. He loves playing cricket, but unfortunately, he could not pursue it. He wanted to see me play at a good level," reflected the teenager after his first Ranji ton for Andhra. While Prasad was keeping a tab on as Rahul and Revanth secured a lead for Andhra, after he crossed the 80-run mark, he closed it. "After that, he is off the phone because of high pressure. He was not at the ground because he could not see me playing for a long time. He feels more pressure than me. He felt very happy. A lot of calls to him also. Congratulations and all," said the happy youngster.
Asked if he felt the pressure going in under challenging circumstances, Rahul said he saw it as a responsibility. "I was meant to do that," he said. What helped him was the experience of having played the Dr. (Capt.) K. Thimmappiah Memorial Tournament where he scored 384 runs in four matches including two centuries and a fifty. Having seen him perform under pressure, it did not take long for head coach Gary Stead and the team management to move Rahul from U23 to senior team. "If I was not in the Ranji squad, I'd be in the U23 squad, so I was preparing for it. After that, we went to the KSCA tournament, and I performed well there. Then they let me know I might play Ranji this season, so I prepared for that and was ready," Rahul explained.
"Gary sir has handled many situations, and it's a great opportunity for us to be with him and communicate. The way he gives confidence — it was my first game — but the way he talked to me made me feel I was a suitable player for this wicket and would get runs. He was telling me just to have patience. That kind of talk gives you confidence when you are playing your first game and feeling nervous. A couple of days before the match, we worked with Mugdha (Bavare) ma'am on mental aspects, and discussing what works for me helped us a lot," he added.
The job, however, is not done. Rahul is keen to build on the lead and put Andhra in a position of strength from where Karnataka cannot make a comeback on Tuesday.
