Playing TN will be abnormal: Badrinath

CHENNAI: With 573 runs from 8 outings at an impressive 57.30 on his 'debut' season for Vidarbha, skipper S Badrinath has been hugely credited for turning the side's fortunes in the ongoing Ranji Trophy season. Come February 16, and life will come a full circle for Badri, whose side will lock horns with his former team Tamil Nadu in the Ranji knockouts at Jaipur.
Not surprisingly, the first thing Badri did once the tournament schedule came out at the start of the season was to check the likelihood of locking horns with Tamil Nadu.
Badri, who came back late on Monday night for a couple of days break, was looking forward to the knockout clash. "I knew there would come a time when I will have to face Tamil Nadu once the shift to Vidarbha was made last year. It will definitely be abnormal for me," said Badri, while speaking to TOI.
But the domestic batting stalwart felt once he stepped on the field, it would be business as usual. "Being a professional cricketer, I will strive to give my best for the side. Nothing less than that," he said.
What is the biggest difference he has witnessed in the Vidarbha and Tamil Nadu line-up? "I feel Tamil Nadu team is blessed with experience as they have players of the quality of M Vijay, Abhinav Mukund, Dinesh Karthik, and L Balaji among others," Badri said.
While Badri's leadership skills with Vidarbha have come for rich praise from all quarters, the 34-year-old labeled the side's success to its all-round performance. "Three of our batsman -- G Satish, Shalabh Shrivastava and me have scored over 500 runs in the tournament. Our bowlers ---- Shrikant Wagh and Ravikumar Thakur too have shone with the ball," said Badri.
Whilst he changed the mindset of the Vidarbha side, Badri admitted there have been a few changes for him personally as well. "My Hindi has improved a lot. My wife was surprised when she saw me listening to Hindi songs. On a serious note, I made a conscious effort to speak with the players in Hindi," revealed Badri.