Hyderabad cricketer Ravi Teja out to make an impression in Duleep Trophy
High on confidence after an impressive Ranji Trophy season, Hyderabad cricketer T Ravi Teja is hoping to make the most of the opportunities
Hyderabad: High on confidence after an impressive Ranji Trophy season, Hyderabad cricketer T Ravi Teja is hoping to make the most of the opportunities that come his way.
Having impressed everyone with his all-round performances in the Ranji Trophy in the last edition, where he picked up 20 wickets and scored 197 runs with two half-centuries in three matches, Ravi Teja made it to the South Zone team, led by G Hanuma Vihari.
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Speaking on his inclusion, Ravi Teja said, “I am feeling very happy to be part of this tournament. My ultimate goal is to play for India. It is a good opportunity for me to showcase my skills. Now, I have to perform and show what I can do.” When asked about his target in the tournament, he said, “Whatever the game, my mindset doesn’t change. I want to win the game for my team and be the Man of the Match. That is the benchmark I set. People saw me play in Ranji Trophy and now the selectors will be there. So I want to be more expressive and perform to my potential.”
After missing the bus to the lucrative Indian Premier League, Ravi Teja was dejected but he knew all was not over for him. He bounced back in style putting up impressive performances in the Ranji Trophy. “After IPL snub, I knew that there are other means to make it to the Indian team. The performances in the domestic tournaments have a lot of value as well. There are people like (Rahul) Dravid, (VVS) Laxman and (Sourav) Ganguly, who value domestic performances. That is a big motivation for me. If I perform here, I will be on track of achieving my dream.”
“I just want to take it match by match but my ultimate goal is to play for India. Playing in the Duleep Trophy is a step forward in that direction. There is no dearth on motivation as if I do well here, I can go further. Vihari’s case is an example. He also took the domestic route to make it to the India team.”
The Indian domestic season will kick-start with the Duleep Trophy and the talented all-rounder is geared up to for another impressive season. “We have our core team with Tanay (Tyagarajan), Rahul (Buddi), Tilak (Varma). We are already playing a level ahead of others. We are not here to just play the game. We want to win whatever tournament we play. We now have now a bunch of players who are doing really well,” he concluded.
South Zone will take on North Zone in the semifinal of the Duleep Trophy from Thursday in Salem.
