Historic Buchi Babu Tournament Finds New Relevance In State Units Chasing Red-ball Readiness

All India Buchi Babu Invitational: A couple of months still remain before the Ranji Trophy gets underway, and the All India Buchi Babu Invitational tournament, set to begin in Chennai on Monday and run till September 9, will once again serve as the appetiser that state units eagerly seek to get into red-ball groove.

For teams eyeing a head start to do well in red-ball cricket, the timing could not be better. With the Duleep Trophy slated to begin from August 28, squads will soon lose their top players to the zonal tournament duties. The Buchi Babu tournament, revived in 2023 after a 12-year-long hiatus, offers just the right platform for state teams to rediscover their red-ball cricket rhythm.

"Its a very historical and old tournament which we won in 2011. After 2013, we had not played in this tournament. Why this is important is because elsewhere in India, there are no three-day or four-day quality tournaments like the Buchi Babu competition offering challenging conditions.

“We normally play on spinning pitches in India, and playing in Buchi Babu tournament is one such preparation for that because as the season goes on in Ranji Trophy, you might find some spinning and turning pitches, as well as different conditions.

"So that is one of the reasons to participate and obviously all good teams come here to compete - so it's an opportunity to just check our bench strength, who we're going to try in the coming season and even sorting the team combinations. These are the points why this tournament is important for our preparation for the Ranji season," said Samad Fallah, the former Maharashtra pacer turned bowling coach, to IANS in an exclusive conversation.

For Bengal head coach Laxmi Ratan Shukla, the attraction of the tournament lies in its offering – providing valuable red-ball cricket practice. “It's a good tournament. We have come to play in the Buchi Babu competition after 6-7 years. Before this, we have played in Buchi Babu many times.”

“In the last few seasons, we could not come here as we would be going to play another tournament in Bengal or had camps. We are looking forward to it. We have a new team and are in the process of firming up selections for the upcoming season. That's why we came here – so far it's good and boys are ready to go.”

“Red ball cricket is such a thing that the better your preparation is, the better your play will be. White-ball cricket comes at the end, as the red-ball format is the one which makes you a cricketer. That's why all of us attach a lot of importance towards red-ball cricket preparation,” he said to IANS.

Shukla, a former India all-rounder, also pointed to the nuances players can only experience in long-form cricket. “Playing red-ball cricket is an art where you get to see reverse swing, googly, leg spin, off spin, and left arm spin. But if you look at white-ball cricket, you won't see the variation of the bowler as it's flat, while red-ball cricket is always magic. That's why we all came here for this tournament and I hope it's an opportunity for all the teams to prepare well.”

The tournament was first held in 1909/10 and named after Mothavarapu Venkata Mahipathi Naidu, popularly known as Buchi Babu Naidu, regarded as the father of Madras cricket. However, the tournament was removed from the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association calendar in 2017 to accommodate the Tamil Nadu Premier League.

Since its revival in 2023, the tournament has once again captured the attention of every state unit, as well as that of Indian team players and those on the verge of making it to the national set-up. The main attractions for the upcoming tournament are Ruturaj Gaikwad, Prithvi Shaw, Ayush Mhatre, Sarfaraz Khan, Musheer Khan, Vijay Shankar, Shahrukh Khan, Umran Malik, Abdul Samad, Prabhsimran Singh, Ramandeep Singh, and Abishek Porel.

The presence of players like Gaikwad and new signing Shaw has further motivated Maharashtra’s squad, says Fallah. “When they come, it gives a big boost to the 30-35 probable players and lifts them too. It makes them feel that our best players are putting their efforts when they recently played a three-day game.

"I got motivated when my senior players were playing with us. We get to know that we belong to this level. Ruturaj is such a person that he will be always there to help others. Prithvi has just come to Maharashtra and I don't feel that he is coming from some other region.

“All kids have played with Prithvi in the under-19 age groups, and so many boys shared the dressing room with him - so everyone have been welcoming towards him. Ruturaj has been working really hard on himself, as he wants to be perfect in every department. It was so motivating for the players that he and Prithvi shared their experiences and how can they go towards achieving the targets for this new season."

Fourteen state units have signed up this year, along with two TNCA teams - the President’s XI and TNCA XI. The attraction is not financial: the winners receive Rs 3 lakh, the runners-up Rs 2 lakh. Rather, it is about preparation, match readiness, and fine-tuning combinations.

Fallah also highlighted the demanding Chennai conditions players will have to adjust to during the competition. “Lots of our boys from Maharashtra do go and play on red soil pitches in Mumbai anyways. But again, it's the conditions - like Chennai's conditions, are extreme, you play in the heat and it is a nice preparation.”

“I'll give you an example - if you're manufacturing a tyre, you have to put it into a 400 degree so it can sustain in 40 degrees, isn't it? It is same like that here. Buchi Babu is a nice extreme conditions offering tournament where one gets everything from it - fitness part, mentality, and how much can you concentrate in three days?”

“As coaches, we can check on the players who can put lots of effort in the coming season and that's what we are trying to achieve as a team and as an association. This year, we thought, okay, we can participate in it and I'm sure it will surely help for the team combination also,” he said.

While noting the weather in Chennai is milder as compared to previous years, Shukla warned the conditions will still test players. “The red soil is helpful for both spinners and batters. The bowlers will also have to put in some effort. The climate is not as hot as it used to be in Chennai - its better now. But still, it's going to be a challenging game and it's going to be fun.”

16 teams are divided into four groups of four each. The league phase matches will be played across three days, with the first innings capped at 90 overs and the second innings to be of 45 overs. The knockouts will revert to a four-day affair with 90 overs per innings. Group winners advance directly to the semifinals.

The tournament once attracted a lot of fanfare alongside fellow traditional red-ball tournaments - Moin-ud-Dowlah Gold Cup in Hyderabad and the KSCA Invitational in Bengaluru. While the Hyderabad competition is long gone and the KSCA tournament scaled down, the Buchi Babu competition stands as a vital platform - offering players a rare chance to sharpen skills, test their squad’s depth and toughen up themselves for the red-ball grind that lies ahead in the domestic season.

Buchi Babu Invitational tournament groups

Group A: TNCA President’s XI, Himachal Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra

Group B: Railways, Jammu Kashmir, Baroda, Odisha

Group A: TNCA President’s XI, Himachal Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra

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Group D: Hyderabad, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand.

Article Source: IANS