Buchi Babu win huge morale booster, says Hyderabad coach DB Ravi Teja

The 38-year-old Ravi Teja is pleasantly surprised to see the same philosophy as his in his boys, which he says actually helped the team beat the best in the business and win the trophy

Hyderabad: At his best in his playing days, D.B. Ravi Teja, former Hyderabad opener, always presented a calm and composed stature on the field, especially with the willow, and his motto was always self-belief.

And, the 38-year-old Ravi Teja, who was the head coach of Hyderabad, which retained the All India Buchi Babu invitation cricket tournament in Chennai on Monday, is pleasantly surprised to see the same philosophy in his boys, which he says actually helped the team beat the best in the business and win the trophy.

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The former India under-19 cricketer who played 78 first-class games scoring 4722 runs, including 12 centuries, apparently knew what one needed to find the winning combination.

“Honestly, I loved the way the boys (with Rahul Singh as captain) responded to the given situation consistently through the tournament. I am really pleased with the way the middle-order rose to the occasion, countering the spinners,” Ravi said in a chat with ‘Telangana Today’.

“Definitely, it is a special feeling to win the championship given the fact that Hyderabad beat some of the top teams in tough conditions,” he said. “It is a perfect way to start the season and should be a huge morale-booster to the team ahead of the season,” he said.

“The most encouraging aspect of the campaign is the way the youngsters responded when given the chance, especially with Tanmay (Agarwal) and Tanay (Thyagarajan) joining the South Zone for Duleep Trophy,” Ravi said.

“The message from the start was pretty clear – keep things simple, stick to basics and play to your strengths to give the best performances,” the victorious coach said.

Reflecting on the coming season, Ravi felt that Rohith Rayudu could be more of an off-spinning all-rounder as the team badly needed one quality offspinner. “We have an outstanding batting line-up and with his experience and class, Rayudu should be one of the big players in Hyderabad’s campaign in the season ahead,” he said.

On his own experience, Ravi said it was nice to be back with Hyderabad as head coach and more so with some of the new faces who were willing to put in that extra effort for the team’s cause.
“I must thank the entire support staff for always ensuring that the team was fit and terrific team bonding,” he concluded.

For his part, manager Denzil Balm, known for his no-nonsense approach in ensuring complete discipline on and off the field, said that the timing of the victory was significant as many youngsters were aiming high. “The best part is that it is fully fit and showed great team bonding,” he said.