By the way,this Andhra cricketer has one arm

“The general perception is that I’m just travelling with the team,not as a member of the XI. But everyone gets a shock when they see me bowling or batting,” says Yalamanchili who took four wickets for Andhra during the under-19 Cooch Behar Trophy this season.

When he first decided to play serious cricket in his home town Bangalore,Yalamanchili encountered a series of problems. “Whenever I tried to bowl fast,I used to lose my balance and fall down,” he recalls.

He was given no chance by most coaches in the region. But one of them,Amit Pathak was convinced that

Yalamanchili was ready to do the hard mile,and took him under his wing. “He introduced me to a physio Badrinath

who prepared some special exercises for me. He made me work on my body to get the right balance while bowling and batting,” he says.

Later,Pathak altered his bowling action by reducing his run-up and the two spent long hours together to get his balance right. The revised action was straighter,with a modified follow-through. Fielding was a big problem area as well. “I knew that if I had to play top-level junior cricket,I had to improve myself in every aspect. During the off-season,I underwent rigorous fielding sessions,” says Yalamanchili.

After the flaws were ironed out,

V Chamundeswaranath,secretary of the Andhra Cricket Association (ACA) happened to spot him,and he was called for junior trials. “Let me make it clear that sympathy wasn’t a factor when I picked him. The boy had courage,willingness to excel,” says Chamundeswaranath.

Last season,the ACA sent Yalamanchili to Brisbane where he hammered 44 runs off 26 balls — five fours and a six included — against a club side in a Twenty20 match. “He is a good swing bowler and a fine fielder. Seeing his effort on the field,we all get a boost,” says Andhra under-19 skipper Shiva Kumar. “I think he is blessed.”