Badrinath is the real deal!

[Ram]

I didnt see the match at all, but from reading a few of the posts here, seems like he played really well and handled Mendis adequately enough, which is a vitally important point to note. Of course, Badri didnt exactly set the world on fire with this performance, but i wouldnt be surprised at all if he continues to do well. He may not as gifted as stroke maker as Rohit is, or as power a hitter as Yusuf is, but he is just PURE class. He's your quintessential face-down-and-sweat-it-out, hardoworking type of cricketer. He's more in the mould of the Dhoni of the new, he may not be flambouyant to watch, but when the going gets tough and the rubber meets the road, you can be rest assured he will give his best shot and not just throw it away reckelssly. The way he seamlessly made the transformation from FC cricket to IPL was brilliant. Every time he batted in IPL, he looked like he belonged in the international stage. The only reservations I had about him till then were his ability to score quickly and his fielding. Even those were removed during IPL. He's in the form of his life, we shouldnt let go of this golden period in his career.

[cowboysfan]

finally badri has been given a chance and proven his worth-he should be persisted even in the tests.

[Ram]

Lets not get too excited here. After all, he scored only 20-odd runs... Nothing terribly special about it, but the signs of promise are there for everyone to see.

[flamy]

yay!! I'm overcome with emotion! :yay::yay::yay: Badri needs a long run. A long long run. :pray:

[Online]

Lets not get too excited here. After all' date=' he scored only 20-odd runs... Nothing terribly special about it, but the signs of promise are there for everyone to see.[/quote'] yes, but when others had no clue how to handle Mendis, this chap made it look like no big deal. But I am sure there will be a day when we need 70 runs from 40 balls and Badri wont be able to accelerate and people will ask for him to be axed.

[cowboysfan]

yes, but when others had no clue how to handle Mendis, this chap made it look like no big deal. But I am sure there will be a day when we need 70 runs from 40 balls and Badri wont be able to accelerate and people will ask for him to be axed.

didn't he play well in the IPL?.I agree though that he has to come up in the order.that's way low for him.I am also worried about Rohit Sharma .a few more flops and we might not see him for a long time again.

[Feed]

Dhoni lauds Badrinath effort On the day when Indian wrestler Sushil Kumar and boxer Vijender Kumar provided unanticipated boosts to the country's Olympic campaign, India's one-day team tussled and tugged their way to a series-leveling victory in Dambulla. . More... India in Sri Lanka 2008 Dhoni lauds Badrinath effort Jamie Alter in Dambulla August 20, 2008 The win was clearly a relief for S Badrinath who voiced his disappointment at continually being overlooked for national selection © AFP On the day when Indian wrestler Sushil Kumar and boxer Vijender Kumar provided unanticipated boosts to the country's Olympic campaign, India's one-day team tussled and tugged their way to a series-leveling victory in Dambulla. It started India's way emphatically through Zaheer Khan's enthralling opening spell, tilted Sri Lanka's way when India slipped to 75 for 5, and was finished authoritatively by two middle-order batsmen with an appetite for a scrap. One half of a match-winning stand of 60 in 15.5 overs, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, paid credit to the man who eventually took India home - debutant Subramaniam Badrinath. "Its good to have him," said Dhoni. "He was under pressure on debut, especially against Murali and Mendis, but he played them really well. He took up the challenge and responsibility and showed some character." When Badrinath hit the winnings runs and jogged down the other end, pumping his right fist, the relief was clear for a batsman who voiced his disappointment at continually being overlooked for national selection. The closest that he came was when he was called up as a replacement for the injured Gautam Gambhir during the one-day series at home against Australia in October 2007. Having replaced Sachin Tendulkar in the current ODI team, it was an injury to Gambhir again which allowed him his debut, and he played with creditable determination to guide India home. "He's very talented, and that's why he is here," said Dhoni. "He's been performing consistently over the years back home and on India A tours. It was reversing and turning a bit, and at one end we had a batsman [badrinath] but the other end was open. "It was Badrinath's first game and he had the pressure of scoring. That's what gives you confidence and the more experience you get the better. You don't need to play 100 games for that. Even 25 such games will give you much more experience. The more you are in these conditions, the more comfortable you will be in the future. It is good preparation, but it takes its toll too. You need to really concentrate." Dhoni is no stranger to walking in under pressure and performing a rescue act, and he downplayed his contribution with a smile. "Well I'm losing some hair, but it is a pleasure to go out there under pressure and perform," he said. "That's what you're supposed to do at this level. People expect you to score and it's a privilege. A win is always good because the morale goes up and you start believing you can deal with pressure. Once you're square, you can look into the opponents' eyes and tell them that if we play good cricket, we can definitely beat you." Zaheer, one of the unsung performers in the Tests, had taken immense pressure off the batsmen having to deal with Sri Lanka's spinners. A spate of injuries forced Dhoni to "bowl out of compulsion" despite a pitch that appeared good for batting by his assessment. In a fiery opening burst of pace and swing, Zaheer left Sri Lanka 10 for 3. In a tour so dominated by spin, it was refreshing to see pace make its presence felt. "Zaheer has been consistent throughout," said Dhoni. "I've been playing for four years and I've seen him bowl like this. He has moved way ahead when it comes to his fielding as well. He's there more than 100%. He bowled really well in England too, and it's really good to have someone like him." It has been a tough tour for India's bowlers. There was some assistance for the seam bowlers in the last two ODIs, but in the Tests it was an uphill struggle. Dhoni credited his bowlers for turning in an accomplished performance. "Not just Zaheer, the others did a great job," he said. "At times when a bowler doesn't get wickets people tend to say he's a weak bowler, but it is about the effort put in. You won't always have a good day. Unless you bowl in partnerships you won't get wickets. If Zaheer struck, Praveen Kumar's impact was also good. He bowled really well with the new ball." The Indian captain also sounded a word of caution and believed that spin may come into play in the next three outings at Colombo. "It was a deceptive pitch, with something in it for the fast bowlers," he said. "In tough, hot and humid conditions, they bowled consistently, but I don't think they will get such conditions in the coming matches."

[fineleg]

I didnt see the match at all, but from reading a few of the posts here, seems like he played really well and handled Mendis adequately enough, which is a vitally important point to note. He's in the form of his life, we shouldnt let go of this golden period in his career.

He deserves an extended run 2 or 3 series to see what he can do. Today's perf was "somewhat good". Nothing too fantastic. I would reserve judgement on Badri till end of the series. Dhoni should send him at #4 for the rest of the series. Give him 2-3 full series if he does decently, and then we can decide whether he shud stay or go. Until then, its just evaluation period without us going OTT on celebrating or anything. He is certainly the hardworking variety, less natural talent than Rohit Sharma. But R.Sharma is lacking in temperament, and needs to play more domestics for a couple of years first. After all this (IPL, odi etc), Badri is still MORE OF A TEST PLAYER than limited overs. He shud be tried in tests, where he really will find his natural game more than T20 etc.

[fineleg]

too bad he had to literally beg to be included.

Well, he does not have Godfathers and neither is he from Bombay. Worse, he is from a place where typically he can actually expect that his career will be spit on like it was for another excellent prospect Sharath. Sharath was mostly ignored no matter how hard he worked, and finally bowed as captain of his state side.

[satishg]

yes, but when others had no clue how to handle Mendis, this chap made it look like no big deal. But I am sure there will be a day when we need 70 runs from 40 balls and Badri wont be able to accelerate and people will ask for him to be axed.

he played those kinda innings in the IPL..so he has it in him to accelerate if needed..he is a very gud talent and needs time to settle in the team..Dhoni shd define a role for him and ask him to play accordingly..

[satishg]

Well' date=' he does not have Godfathers and neither is he from Bombay. Worse, he is from a place where typically he can actually expect that his career will be spit on like it was for another excellent prospect Sharath. Sharath was mostly ignored no matter how hard he worked, and finally bowed as captain of his state side.[/quote'] hardwork never lets u down..and Badri is a classic example of that..yes there are exceptions for that rule and one such is Sharath but Badri now has got the chance and i hope and pray that he cements a place in the ODI and test squad..good luck Badri

[Predator_05]

Those 27 runs were worth 50+ in the context of the game. Looks a tidy player, hopefully we will see more of him.

[Guest Hiten.]

Yet another knee-jerk reaction ? Why don't you guys hold on to your guns instead of jumping on it like a mad monkey. Sure he played good innings, but keep your expectations to a certain limit which would restrain you from opening threads like "Badri should be axed/shot" if Badri does not live up to YOUR hype. On Side note, well done Badri.

[PaiN_KiLLeR]

He is a good fielder too. Took 2 neat catches today.

[vadodaravictor]

Yet another knee-jerk reaction ? Why don't you guys hold on to your guns instead of jumping on it like a mad monkey. Sure he played good innings, but keep your expectations to a certain limit which would restrain you from opening threads like "Badri should be axed/shot" if Badri does not live up to YOUR hype. On Side note, well done Badri.

I agree. Let Badri show his consistency. His display was very good today. But we don't want to hype him only to find out that he is not consistent in his performances. I will watch him for few more matches before giving out my judgement.

[King Tendulkar]

Badirinath its his technique and volume of runs in FC which gives me confidence. Just like Gambhir who did the business in FC cricket, Badrinath is the man. I was really impressed and am VERY excited about him. IMO odis are not his thing even though he will succed in them, he is a a test player and is a must for series against oz! Only a shorty knock today but I see the signs of a class act

[arkay]

"He's very talented, and that's why he is here," said Dhoni. "He's been performing consistently over the years back home and on India A tours. It was reversing and turning a bit, and at one end we had a batsman [badrinath] but the other end was open. "It was Badrinath's first game and he had the pressure of scoring. That's what gives you confidence and the more experience you get the better. You don't need to play 100 games for that. Even 25 such games will give you much more experience. The more you are in these conditions, the more comfortable you will be in the future. It is good preparation, but it takes its toll too. You need to really concentrate

At last, Dhoni had to concede. It is about time Dhoni realized Badri's potential and give him enough opportunities for him to prove himself. If Badri succeeds, great. If not, we can look for someone else. Jo Jeeta wahi sikander.

[punjabi_khota]

Well' date=' he does not have Godfathers and neither is he from Bombay. Worse, he is from a place where typically he can actually expect that his career will be spit on like it was for another excellent prospect Sharath. Sharath was mostly ignored no matter how hard he worked, and finally bowed as captain of his state side.[/quote'] So according to you, what are places that are biased against always ? Chennai/TN ?

[flamy]

So according to you' date=' what are places that are biased against always ? Chennai/TN ?[/quote'] and the North-East. :cantstop:

[bharat297]

same thing was said abt Rohit Sharma but he turned out to be joke of a player.

LOL The first bad run for a guy (who is only 21 btw) who was in sublime form up until around April ... sudenly he is a joke of a player. I suppose Ishant is a joke of a bowler too. I mean, he didnt get many wickets in the test series, or the Asia cup ... lets drop him, he's a joke. Raina struggled a bit recently ... lets drop him, he's a joke. Tiwary struggled in the 1 game he was given ... he's a joke and should never be picked. LOL ... Yea "lets groom youngsters" my foot ... We're gonna call them jokes at the first sign of trouble ... LOL.