Former India chief selector MSK Prasad on Ricky Bhui, – ‘If he continues to impress, the national team could be next’

If there’s one cricketer who has looked absolutely flawless over the past year or so, it has to be Ricky Bhui. Not only did he emerge as the leading run-getter in the previous edition of the Ranji Trophy, the seasoned campaigner replicated the same in the recently-concluded Duleep Trophy. With 902 runs in 13 innings and 359 runs in six innings in the respective two domestic competitions mentioned above, he has certainly grown from strength to strength.

Ricky Bhui was chosen for the Andhra Cricket Association academy by former Indian top selector MSK Prasad, who believed that Bhui had grown up sufficiently to be given a chance to play for the national side.

“Across all formats, he has been giving outstanding, consistent performances. Why is Ricky not in the Indian squad already, while his peers like Sarfaraz Khan have? He merits a chance to play for India A (against Australia later in the year), and should he maintain his current level of performance, the national team may follow. Being the top run-scorer in the Ranji Trophy and the Duleep Trophy, two competitions in which elite players have competed, is no small accomplishment “said Prasad, cited.

I intend to carry on in the same manner: Ricky Bhui

The 27-year-old said his main goal while at the wicket and expressed hope that he would develop further as a professional cricket player in the future.

“My goal has always been to help the team score as many runs as I can. The previous couple seasons have been quite satisfying. Similar to my previous hundreds in the Duleep Trophy, my centuries in the Ranji Trophy against Bengal and Uttar Pradesh (last season) came up against excellent bowling and challenging circumstances. I intend to carry on in the same manner,” Bhui said.

Bhui, who has amassed 4,363 runs in 59 games over the last ten seasons, is actually Andhra Pradesh’s top run scorer. He has been playing at an unmatched level lately. As he assumes leadership of his state team for the upcoming season, he hopes to continue his excellent work.

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It’s interesting to note that Hanuman Vihari was included in Andhra Pradesh’s 16-man team for the current campaign. The Andhra Cricket Association’s abuse and political meddling were the batter’s two main reasons for threatening to leave the state, as he had previously stated. On second consideration, Vihari reportedly decided against taking the stand and instead chose to keep playing for Andhra.