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3rd Test: Australia wins Sydney Test (scorecard), South Africa won Test Series 2-1.. T20 & ODI series follows.
Current Cricket Series : South Africa vs Australia, West Indies vs New Zealand. Coming Up : India in NZ 2009.

A Beven of ODIs, Dravid of tests : here's Badrinath

Filed under Player Profile

After the dissappointing end of story called Mohammad Kaif, India needed a number 6 who knew his craft with the bat. all shorts in the book but selecting which ones to play and when.. someone like (Michael) Hussey or Beven who believes in hitting the gaps, staying at the wicket till the very end. A forward defensive shot even Rahul Dravid would be proud of. Big shots are rare, but a master of consuming match pressure.

27 years & 39 days he was, when national selectors buzzed him. Subramaniam Bardrinath, a brilliant fielder & right handed technically correct batsman has 54 first class games experience to show but isn't a test match spinner who can force a mistake from opposing batsman..thats when one day Internationals are useful. Brarinath (the off spinner) has quick bowling action but bowls quite slowly. deciving the batsman in flight, or just containing with good line & length.

They say 'cricket is as much a mental game as physical', then this cricket paithyam (crazy in his mother's words) would impress cricket fans around the world in time to come. India have selected him on the brink of Australian tour, for a specific reason. Badrinath was among 4 teams that played in 'Top End' series 2006, A sides of New Zealand, Pakistan, India & host Australia. Captain Venugopal Rao kept him out of 50 over games but when he played the 4 day games - 55 in first innings was followed by match winning 70 against Kiwis. 59 in drawn test against Australia then 63 against Kiwis again.. not a single Badrinath innings flopped.

A father who never asked what was Badrinath's marks, but only the number of runs he scored. A mother who wasn't much of a sports fan, but realized the flaws of being vegetarian & gave loads of pulses & milk to Badri.. you have here a cricketer who bends nicely to every drive & hook he plays, and dreams of cementing his place in Indian cricket team.

Lets wish him all the luck.

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