Run-hungry Ricky Bhui leads the way for Andhra

Ricky Bhui played two Under-19 World Cups for India in 2014 and 2016, but his career didn't quite take off from there. Eight years later, he is rising once again by scoring big runs for Andhra across formats in domestic cricket. He has also taken over as Andhra's captain from Hanuma Vihari this season and will later be in action for Delhi Capitals in IPL 2024.

Overall, Bhui averages 45.36 after 67 first-class games since 2013. The number shoots up to 55.89 if you consider the period from January 2021.

So, what has changed for Bhui? "It's the mindset," Bhui tells ESPNcricinfo ahead of Andhra's fifth-round Ranji Trophy fixture against Bihar in Patna. "Because as a domestic batter, you should keep getting runs. You should not be satisfied with just one hundred or a big score.

"There are a lot of people scoring runs around the country every now and then. So, to be noticed you need to keep scoring. So, I told myself not to be satisfied with how much ever I score and keep scoring across formats. Every day is a new day and every innings is a fresh innings. I had to change my mindset and get into that mindset and that helped me in every match."

Bhui is currently the third-highest run-getter in the Elite group in the ongoing Ranji season, with 492 runs in six innings at an average of 82, including three centuries. His entry points during those three innings read: 119 for 3 against Bengal, 168 for 2 against Assam, 41 for 3 against Chhattisgarh. He believes that he has the game and temperament to tackle any situation in the middle order.

"As a middle-order batter you will have to face different situations," Bhui says. "Sometimes it will be 20 for 2 or 200 or 2, and sometimes you will have to play along with the bowlers to score big runs. So, you will have to be ready for those challenges as a middle-order batter. An opener has a different set of challenges - playing on damp wickets and facing the hard, new ball and facing fresh spells.

"Being a middle-order batter, you will have to take the team through [to the finish line] as well. So, that's the biggest challenge of facing different situations. And I've played in the middle order since my childhood, so I'm used to it."

Bhui particularly relishes the 175 against Bengal because it came after he had suffered a blow to his head while keeping wickets. After recovering from it, he returned to help Andhra pass Bengal's 409 for the first-innings advantage.

"The hundred against Bengal gave me a lot of confidence because they were the runners-up last year and they had a really good bowling attack - Akash Deep, Ishan Porel," Bhui says. "They scored 409 runs in the first innings and on the first day, I got a hit on the head while wicketkeeping and I had dizziness the whole day, so I took a break and then came back to play a long innings, which gave me a lot of confidence going into the season."

Bhui occasionally keeps wickets when the first-choice KS Bharat isn't available and the second skill, he says, has benefitted him in white-ball cricket as well. He could potentially be an Indian back-up to both Rishabh Pant and Kumar Kushagra at Capitals in IPL 2024.

"I've been keeping on and off for the last four-five years. When KS is available, he is the keeper," Bhui says. "When he isn't available, I keep because it allows us to play an extra batsman or an extra bowler, depending on the situation. I thought adding a second skill will help me in white-ball cricket as well. Nowadays, you see KL Rahul also keeping and many guys who have adapted to it. In white-ball cricket, you need to have two skills to help the team and I'm ready to keep."

Bhui has also added more shots to his repertoire, which were on display during the 20-overs Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, where he rattled off 234 runs in seven innings at a strike rate of nearly 185. He then attended a number of IPL trials, including one at Capitals, who eventually snapped him up for his base price of INR 20 lakh at the auction last month.

"I feel coming back into the IPL has given me the extra opportunity to showcase my skills to come back into the limelight," Bhui says. "I've improved my white-ball game and added a few innovative strokes. I've been batting down the order, which has helped my strike rate too. As a player, I needed this boost, and I attended six-seven trials. The trial at Delhi went very well, and I was fortunate to be picked by them. I also played an Under-19 World Cup with Rishabh and am looking forward to performing for Delhi Capitals."

Bhui is a fine player of spin, having had stints at the Nelson club in the Chennai league, where you often get pitches that turn sharply from the first session. "In Chennai, the wicket is either a rank turner or a good one for batting," he says. "I bettered my game against spin there and built the patience that is needed to grind and play long innings in red-ball cricket. They also don't give easy runs in Chennai; so I picked up these things from the Chennai league and added it to my game."

Bhui took over as Andhra's full-time captain after that Bengal game and has marshalled the team to two wins in three matches since. Often a mid-season change at the top can disrupt the team, but the transition at Andhra has been smooth.

"Basically, Vihari wanted to focus more on his batting," Bhui says. "More or less it's the same team - it's the same group of boys who are playing together in the last four-five seasons. So, it didn't affect us much within the team and Vihari got into batting form, which was more required, and it has helped the team. I don't see captaincy as a stressful job because I know these boys have played together a lot, so there isn't much to tell. It's about having a good team atmosphere and I know they will do their job."

Andhra are currently second, below Mumbai, on the Group B points table and an outright win against Bihar will further strengthen their chances of qualifying for the knockouts. Andhra had also made the knockouts last season, where they gained the first-innings advantage against Madhya Pradesh in the quarter-final in Indore but collapsed for 93 in the second to eventually lose the game. Bhui hopes Andhra can go ever deeper into the knockouts this season.

"We have a goal to win because Andhra is a state where we don't have a trophy yet," Bhui says. "We are well-prepared this time and want to go till the end and win. Last time also we went to the quarter-final; we haven't been on the big stage that often but in the last two-three years, we are reaching there. Now, we want to take one step or a couple of steps further."