By Vinay Rao
Hyderabad’s junior cricket did not merely underperform this season — it came perilously close to public humiliation. Across the U23, U19, and U16 levels, results revealed a disturbing pattern: transparency discarded, form ignored, and selections driven more by narrative and influence than by merit. The warning signs are no longer subtle. The consequences are imminent.
U23: The “West Indies” Fantasy, the Plate Reality
The U23 squad was theatrically sold as the “West Indies team of yore” — a fearsome pace battery, swagger, and echoes of Richards and Greenidge. The rhetoric was loud. The outcomes were embarrassingly flat.
In the white-ball tournament, Hyderabad performed so poorly that it almost slipped into the Plate division. That escape owed more to fortune than planning. Probables and consistent league performers were discarded to accommodate favourites. Whatever remained of a transparent selection framework was quietly abandoned. Balance, red-ball temperament, and recent form were sacrificed at the altar of reputation.
If this template continues, Hyderabad’s U23 side in the Col C K Nayudu Trophy will not escape next time. The questions before the administration are unavoidable:
- Can the same junior selectors be trusted to correct a decline they presided over?
- Should the U23 squad for the Col C K Nayudu Trophy be reviewed before damage becomes irreversible?
Cooch Behar Trophy: Champions One Month, Relegation Candidates the Next
The collapse in the Cooch Behar Trophy is all the more damning because it came immediately after Hyderabad’s historic Vinoo Mankad triumph. In the same season, the system produced U19 one-day champions — and a red-ball side flirting with relegation.
Despite wickets and performances in leagues and in the Cooch Behar competition itself, players such as Thanmai were denied sustained opportunities. Selection logic shifted without explanation. Continuity vanished. Confidence eroded. The nadir came when Hyderabad nearly lost to Kerala, a side currently propping up the table.
Relegation is no longer a theoretical risk. It is real.
Imagine the optics: Vinoo Mankad champions and Cooch Behar strugglers — in the same year.
Vijay Merchant Trophy: Early Warnings Ignored
The Vijay Merchant Trophy exposed the pipeline problem early. Inability to bat time, bowling indiscipline, poor fitness, and basic skill deficiencies were evident. These warnings should have triggered course correction. Instead, underprepared players were fast-tracked upward, where the cracks only widened.
Fielding: A Universal Embarrassment
Across U16, U19, and U23, fielding and catching standards were uniformly abysmal. Matches were lost through elementary lapses. In several instances, team managements were rendered helpless, with coaching inputs overridden by external interference from powerful lobbyists exerting undue influence over junior selections.
What Changed After the Vinoo Mankad Win?
- White-ball success was mistakenly equated with red-ball readiness
- Manipulation intensified; probables became a mere procedural shield
- Scores from probables were selectively uploaded, not comprehensively reported
- Live coverage quietly disappeared once outcomes no longer suited the narrative
- League form and objective comparison were sidelined
- The selection narrative replaced the selection criteria
Most tellingly, no junior selector has been publicly reviewed, assessed, or held accountable, despite repeated near-relegation outcomes and visible decline across age groups.
A Moment for Decisive Intervention
Periodic review of selectors is not optional — it is basic governance. This season demands immediate action. Junior selectors must undergo a formal performance and conduct review, examining ignored probables, inconsistent criteria, near-Plate outcomes, and credible allegations of external interference. If favoritism or wrongdoing is established, corrective action must follow without delay.
At this critical juncture, the entire Hyderabad cricket fraternity looks towards Justice Naveen Rao Garu to take a firm, principled step in the larger interest of Hyderabad cricket — to restore credibility, protect young talent, and arrest further institutional damage.
Escaping relegation is not achievement; it is a warning. This season has laid bare how fantasy selections and abandoned transparency can push Hyderabad cricket to the brink. The time to correct course is now — not after the Plate becomes reality.
