Though Atharva Taide has aced most tests that his not-so-long career has entailed until now, the opening challenge confronting him with Vidarbha in the Ranji Trophy was the litmus test of sorts for him.
Taide was tasked with filling the shoes of Faiz Fazal, a domestic cricket legend who made 138 appearances over a 20-year First-Class career. Given Taide’s poor performance as an opener in the Indian Premier League (IPL), he may have been more focused on his lacklustre four-run score from two innings than on his natural talent as an opener.
But the 23-year-old rose to the occasion when his side took down Karnataka in the quarterfinal of the competition. Taide notched up a century at the top, helping Vidarbha to an imposing 460 in the first innings, which eventually proved to be a bridge too far for the heavyweight. Landing the sucker punch on a team that played out a draw against Chandigarh in its final group match, preferring to play Vidarbha over Saurashtra, made the victory even sweeter.
“I would not like to put myself in someone else’s shoes. I am not here to fill in the space left by someone else. My goal is to play cricket at the highest level, and that is what I am doing when I am playing First-Class cricket. I want to go out there and express myself,” said Taide.
This was the same confidence that allowed Taide to script a turnaround after scores of zero and four in his first two outings with Punjab Kings in 2023. The left-hander moved to the No. 3 spot and got 182 runs from five innings at a strike rate nearing 150.
Taide wants to ride into IPL 2024 on the back of eye-catching performances in crunch matches. | Photo Credit: MOORTHY RV/The Hindu
There was a minor blip in the comeback arc, though. With Punjab chasing 214 against Delhi Capitals for a final push for the Playoffs, Taide’s 42-ball 55 didn’t quite cut it. With 86 runs needed off 30 deliveries, he became only the second batter in the tournament to be ‘retired out’. If the ignominy was not enough in itself, questions over not retiring him sooner in the innings rubbed salt in his wound.
ALSO READ | Training under Morkel at LSG the secret behind Vidarbha pacer Yash Thakur’s recent surge
“IPL is a platform where you cannot hide anything. If you are even slightly unfit mentally, physically, emotionally, or skill-wise, it shows. So you have to be 100 percent in all these departments and tick all these boxes to get the best out of yourself,” said Taide.
Despite the unceremonious stat in his account, the importance of the seven games was not lost on Taide.
“Every platform you play in, be it the IPL or the Ranji Trophy, you get confidence that you are one step closer to your dream. Since I started playing, the goal has been to play for India. When I play with the best players in the world, it gives me confidence that I belong there. And yes, the IPL also helped make me believe that I’m heading in the right direction,” said Taide.
Taide’s career grew leaps and bounds in 2023. If it commenced with the IPL debut, it turned another corner when he took over the reins of Vidarbha’s white-ball teams. The news was not surprising, given that he marshalled Vidarbha to its maiden Cooch Behar Trophy in 2018. He led the side to the knockout rounds of both – the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and the Vijay Hazare Trophy. His retention in the Kings squad for the upcoming season bookended his year.
While it might be prudent to start setting the benchmark even higher, India A in Taide’s case, he is quick to admit that it is some distance away.
“Going too far ahead of myself will be the biggest mistake I can make right now. What I have in my hand is to perform in every game that I play. I try to win games for my team, irrespective of the format I play in. That is the only thing I can control,” says Taide.
His 302 runs in seven innings in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, at a strike rate just shy of 170, are too far back in time for his liking. While his 529 runs in the Ranji Trophy this season make for a decent run-haul, Taide wants to ride into the IPL on the back of eye-catching performances in crunch matches. After his 109 in the last-eight round was to that tune, Taide squandered an opportunity in the semifinal against Madhya Pradesh.
“The wicket was good, we did not bat well. We should have shown more character,” said Taide after getting strangled down leg-side on 39 in the first innings, having navigated through the morning session on the opening day in overcast conditions.
His blunt, upfront admission is a manifestation of Taide’s eagerness to score and his expectations of himself.
As Vidarbha sits 261 runs ahead after three days of play, there is nothing Taide would want more than a final chance to sign off the season in style.
Comments
SHARE