I have never believed in blaming individuals. Administrators come and go. Selectors change. Office-bearers change. But if a system continues to produce the same injustice decade after decade, then it is the system that deserves to be questioned.
My question is simple.
Why is genuine rural talent from Telangana still treated as an afterthought?
I ask this not as a critic sitting outside the boundary ropes, but as someone who has lived the game—as a player, as a selector of the Hyderabad Ranji Trophy team, and later as a coach entrusted with nurturing young cricketers from the districts.
Some memories refuse to fade.
Years ago, while serving on the state selection committee, I repeatedly witnessed exceptionally talented cricketers from Telangana districts being overlooked. The justification was almost always the same: “How can we ignore players from our affiliated city clubs?”
That single sentence revealed the mindset of the time. Sadly, judging by the debate surrounding the recently concluded TG20 tournament, I am not entirely convinced that mindset has disappeared.
The Hyderabad Cricket Association deserves appreciation for launching the TG20 tournament. Any initiative that seeks to widen the talent pool deserves support. But tournaments alone cannot become an end in themselves. If only a handful of genuine rural cricketers eventually benefited—as many within cricketing circles believe—then the exercise risks defeating its own purpose.
A tournament intended to empower district cricket cannot become another platform dominated by players whose cricketing upbringing has been entirely in Hyderabad despite having ancestral roots in Telangana. Rural representation must be genuine, not symbolic.
Personally, I believe the HCA could have gone a step further. Imagine every franchise featuring a blend of current stars like Tilak Varma and Mohammed Siraj, experienced former Hyderabad cricketers capable of mentoring youngsters, and five or six promising players from Telangana districts. What a remarkable learning environment that would have created. Those youngsters would have returned to their districts not merely as better players but as ambassadors capable of inspiring hundreds more.
My concern, however, extends far beyond one tournament.
The real question is whether deserving rural cricketers will now receive opportunities in Hyderabad’s Under-14, Under-16, Under-19, Under-23 and Ranji Trophy teams.
Because tournaments alone do not change careers.
Selections do.
I am not arguing that every district cricketer deserves selection. I am arguing that every deserving district cricketer deserves an equal opportunity to earn it.
I say this with conviction because some of the most fulfilling years of my cricketing life were spent coaching district Under-14, Under-16 and Under-19 teams.
Every season followed the same pattern. The boys would arrive at the hotel near Paradise Circle after long bus journeys from different districts. Many worried more about getting a proper meal than discussing batting techniques. Cricket was their dream, but hardship had become part of their lives long before the game had.
The first match usually exposed their nervousness. After that, we would spend hours discussing batting order, bowling plans, field placements and match situations.
What amazed me every season was not merely their talent. It was their willingness to learn. Their grasping power was extraordinary. They listened carefully, absorbed every instruction and never carried inflated egos. If they succeeded, they thanked the coach. If they failed, they accepted responsibility. Their sincerity was refreshing.
Even today, decades later, some of those boys remain etched in my memory. There was Pasha from Medak, an accomplished off-spinner; Neelkamal, the opening batter from Mahabubnagar; Rakesh, a genuine spin-bowling all-rounder from the far-flung district of Adilabad; David, the wicketkeeper-batter; Prajan Goud from Warangal; Madhu, the leg-spinning all-rounder from Karimnagar; Raj Kumar, the bowling all-rounder from Khammam; besides several gifted youngsters from Nizamabad. One name I can never forget is Sukant, who eventually fought his way into Hyderabad’s 15-member state squad after years of perseverance.
They were immensely talented.
What many lacked was not ability, but opportunity.
I have absolutely no hesitation in saying that several of those boys possessed enough ability to play at much higher levels. The disappointment was never that every district player failed to get selected. Selection is always competitive. The disappointment was that many never received a fair evaluation in the first place.
That is where the system failed them.
Today, Telangana has invested significantly in sporting infrastructure. Cricket has expanded into almost every district. Coaching facilities have improved, and parents are encouraging their children to pursue the game more seriously than ever before.
The talent exists.
What still remains absent is confidence that selection is based purely on merit.
No cricket association can truly claim to represent an entire state if its pathways continue to favour one city.
Hyderabad has undoubtedly produced outstanding cricketers and will continue to do so. Nobody questions that legacy.
But Telangana is much bigger than Hyderabad.
A genuinely talented fast bowler from Adilabad deserves exactly the same opportunity as one from Secunderabad. A gifted batter from Mahabubnagar deserves the same attention as one from Jubilee Hills. A promising spinner from Nizamabad should not have to perform twice as well merely to receive half the recognition.
That is not merit.
That is prejudice disguised as tradition.
If Telangana cricket genuinely wishes to build a stronger future, rural representation cannot remain a slogan reserved for speeches and press conferences. It must be reflected in selection committees. It must be reflected in state squads. Most importantly, it must be reflected in the Ranji Trophy team.
Only then will young boys and girls from every district believe that talent—not geography—is the passport to success.
The Hyderabad Cricket Association today has an opportunity that previous administrations never fully embraced. It can build teams that truly represent the whole of Telangana, not just one city.
If it dares to trust talent beyond Hyderabad’s boundaries, Telangana cricket will not merely become more inclusive—it will become stronger.
Telangana’s villages are not asking for charity.
They are asking for a fair chance.
History suggests they will do the rest.
