Bavanakka Sandeep leads Hyderabad U-19 to Vinoo Mankad Trophy knockouts in first coaching stint

Former Ranji star Bavanakka Sandeep, coaching Hyderabad under-19 for the first time, guided the team to the knock-out stage of the Vinoo Mankad Trophy. He praised captain Aaron George, all-rounder Wafi Kachchhi, and wicketkeeper-batter Alankrit Rapole for stellar performances.

Hyderabad: He played the game the simple and hard way, without any air of flamboyance to be one of the most successful batters for Hyderabad in Ranji Trophy in the recent past. And, so when Bavanakka Sandeep, mentored as coach of the Hyderabad under-19 team to the knock-out phase of the Vinoo Mankad Trophy cricket championship to be held later this month, it could well be a gentle reminder that he means business even as he looks at the opportunity to give back to the game in an honest way.

And, Sandeep is pretty straight forward in acknowledging the real task was completed by the Junior selection committee panel headed by former Ranji fast bowler Sudeep Tyagi and his team and luckily within a short span of time “we could gel as a unit thanks to everyone chipping in his own way including all the support staff”.

---

“Fielding was extraordinary and there was a lot of discipline too with just one no-ball bowled in the five games in the championship by Hyderabad,” he pointed out proudly.

Sandeep acknowledges that captain and opener Aaron George (334 runs with two impressive centuries and a fifty) led from the front with the willow. “The best part of his batting is he knows his zone, always looks for runs and tries to finish off the job, he knows what it takes to score heavily,” the head coach said.

“Aaron is always in search of runs. He has great potential and if he gets the right guidance and the platform like the NCA, he should go to places,” Sandeep said.

The former Ranji star is all praise for all-rounder Wafi Kachchhi, too rating him as one of the best prospects for T-20 and hopes that a talent scouting team from any IPL franchisee has a good look at him. “And, he has that mystery element in bowling – capable of turning the ball either way and invariably triggered middle-order collapses in the championship,” he said.

“Even wicketkeeper-batter Alankrit Rapole was just too good and I thank the whole team for such brilliant collective effort,” he said.
“Well, for me, the biggest challenge was to get to know the players and I looked up to the selection panel before the first game and once we got a feel of the strongpoints of each player, it was only a question of time before we formed a formidable combination,” Sandeep explained.

“Yes, this is the first time experience as a coach and I really enjoyed and looking forward to staying connected with the game,” he signed off hoping Hyderabad would go on to win the championship.