By Vinay Rao
Hyderabad’s commanding run in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy continues to underline the team’s resurgence, with the side topping the table by a decisive margin. The selectors’ course correction and the appointment of a new captain have injected fresh purpose, and barring one off-day against Maharashtra, Hyderabad have clinically dismantled every opponent. Each game has produced a new hero, while the consistent core—Tanmay Agarwal, Rahul Buddhi, captain C.V. Milind, and the impressive all-rounder Tanay Thyagarajan—has kept the engine running. Tanay, especially, is building a compelling case for attention at the upcoming IPL mini-auction.
Against Bihar, Hyderabad eased to victory with complete authority. The bowlers struck early to remove young sensation Vaibhav Suryavanshi, sending Bihar into a downward spiral from which they never recovered. Only Piyush Kumar (34) and Bipin (31) resisted briefly. Tanay Thyagarajan once again led the charge with three wickets, while Milind added two. Chasing 133, Hyderabad cruised home in 12.5 overs for the loss of just three wickets, courtesy Tanmay Agarwal’s explosive 67 off 42 balls—laced with 11 fours and a six—and a brisk 29 off 15 from Pragnay Reddy.
The momentum continued against J&K, who managed just 112, with Shubham (35) the lone bright spot. Hyderabad’s bowlers—Nitin with three wickets, Rakshan with two, and Milind with another three—kept the pressure suffocating. Though the chase began shakily, Pragnay Reddy’s gritty 31 and a counterattacking 50 from Tanay ensured another comfortable win.
But while senior and T20 cricket flourish, the junior structure continues to go lower. The U-19 Cooch Behar match itself offers two contrasting interpretations: either a valiant fight to save the game or a narrow escape at home against the lowest-ranked team in the group despite holding a 100-plus first-innings lead. Kerala overturned that deficit through towering performances—Jobin Job 62, 163, and a five-wicket haul, along with captain Manav Krishna’s commanding 144—and were prevented from securing a likely win only by bad light. Hyderabad’s key contributors included Aaron George with 70-plus in both innings, Wafi Kacchi’s crucial 130 in the second innings, and the bowling efforts of Yashveer (five wickets) and Rahul Karthikeya (four wickets).
Yet the larger, more worrying story is the free fall of Hyderabad’s junior cricket. Poor selection practices lie at the heart of the crisis. The arrogance that followed the Vinoo Mankad win, whispers of questionable selection methodology, and frequent, destabilising team changes without logic have eroded trust. Influence-driven decisions—shaped by select advisors—and a sense of impunity among those claiming the selectors’ backing have created a toxic ecosystem. A proper review would easily expose the pattern: inconsistency, arbitrariness, and decisions that appear anything but merit-based. The silence of the management only reinforces suspicion that the chaos is not accidental but enabled.
Trouble is now brewing for the upcoming U-16 and U-14 selection cycles as well. With no accountability and a system that seems open to manipulation, these age groups risk becoming the next battleground for dissent and frustration. The ones paying the real price, as always, are the players, their parents, and the broader junior cricket structure that once fed Hyderabad’s senior success. And yet, no one seems bothered.
