"When I reached my hundred, no one clapped" - Ricky Bhui opens up on Andhra's rule of not celebrating personal milestones this year
Andhra Pradesh wicketkeeper-batter Ricky Bhui revealed that the team and captain Hanuma Vihari have set a policy of not celebrating personal milestones this year.
Bhui scored a majestic 175 to help Andhra take the lead in their 2023-24 Ranji Trophy opener against Bengal. After conceding a massive 409 runs in the first innings, the hosts seemed to be in trouble at 119/3 before Bhui's knock propelled them to 445 and a lead of 36 runs.
After being adjudged the Player of the Match, Bhui revealed the team's stance on not celebrating personal milestones.
"Vihari, as a leader, he only said there are no personal milestones," he said. "Whatever it is, it’s a team milestone. When I reached my hundred, no one clapped. It was mandatory that whatever is there, we have to chase it down.
"People usually get satisfied after reaching a milestone. No one should be satisfied until we are winning the game. “[With] these small things we have made sure that the team has to be together. We are so determined to cross the line this time."
Despite the game ending in a draw, Andhra's first-innings lead helped them eke out three points to Bengal's one.
It was Ricky Bhui's 15th century in 64 games, with the gloveman also crossing the 4000-run mark in first-class cricket.
Ricky Bhui was picked up by the Delhi Capitals in the 2024 IPL Auction
Ricky Bhui was acquired by the Delhi Capitals (DC) at his base price of ₹20 lakh in the recent IPL auction.
The Madhya Pradesh-born cricketer was part of the SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) setup previously from 2017 to 2019. Despite being a household name in the Indian domestic circuit, Bhui has played only two games in the IPL.
He spoke about the importance of scoring runs and having an IPL contract to be in contention for bigger things later.
"As a batsman, you have to keep piling up runs and IPL has become major. You know once you perform in IPL, you always get highlighted, people notice you. You never know what things might come up," Bhui was quoted as saying by Sportstar.
The 27-year-old boasts an excellent T20 record, with an average of 32.54 and a strike rate of 138.35 in 62 games.
Bhui will be in action next when Andhra takes on Mumbai at the Wankhede Stadium, starting on Friday, January 12.