Hyderabad’s enduring connection to India’s victorious World Cup campaigns

The story highlights Hyderabad’s enduring contribution to Indian cricket across decades, from PR Man Singh’s managerial role in 1983 to Venkatapathi Raju’s selection panel presence in 2007, and now the new generation of stars – Tilak Varma, Mohammed Siraj, and fielding coach T Dilip – playing pivotal roles in India’s recent T20 World Cup victories.

Ahmedabad: In 1983 when India won the ODI World Cup, Hyderabad PR Man Singh was the manager of the team in an era when the concept of support staff and technology was never in the realms of imagination.

In 2007 when India won the T20 World Cup, former India left-arm spinner SL Venkatapathi Raju was a member of the National Selection Panel headed by Dilip Vengsarkar.

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Then, the next gen members from Hyderabad – fielding coach T Dilip, fast bowler Mohammed Siraj and star batter Tilak Varma – made their presence felt in India winning the T20 World Cup in 2024 and in Ahmedabad last Sunday.

For Dilip, who interestingly took over from another Hyderabadi as the Indian team’s fielding coach R Sridhar, it has been a fabulous run in the last two years with the winning Indian team in the World Cups and also the Champions Trophy in Dubai last year.

Coming from a relatively lesser-known cricketing centre, Warangal, it has been a truly inspirational journey in terms of commitment, passion and hard work to achieve his goals.

Mohammed Siraj may have played just one match in this World Cup, but proved himself to be a lucky mascot like in the Caribbean edition of the T20 World Cup victory campaign.

For the latest star in Indian cricket from Hyderabad, Tilak Varma, mentored by Salam Bayash at Legala Cricket Academy in Lingampally, it has been a fairy tale journey with the Indian team for more than a year. The finishing touch to India’s win when he took a catch in the deep to signal the end of New Zealand’s innings in the final, was perhaps one of those moments he would cherish forever.

Importantly, Tilak proved to be a complete team manager, batting at any slot with the same touch of authority and class. Three sixes in one over off England’s Jofra Archer in the semi-final during the slog overs was one of those defining moments of India’s campaign.

“We had been preparing for the last one-and-a-half years. We were ready to play in all positions, and we were prepared for batting at any position for the team,” said Tilak after the World Cup win.

“That’s what we had decided. We were in the right mindset for batting in any position,” he said.

And, to cap it all, Hyderabad Cricket Association President Amarnath, along with Sunil Agarwal, Councillor and other HCA officials too made their presence felt , greeting the Indian team personally at the ground.

To cap it all, one of the all-time greats of Indian cricket, VVS Laxman’s role as Head of BCCI Centre of Excellence was acknowledged by Indian head coach Gautam Gambhir after the memorable win in Ahmedabad.