How Nikhil Deep Pottabathini bounced back from consecutive ducks to absolutely boss GCA2
A Hyderabad accountant has helped give a GCA club a fighting chance of three consecutive first grade flags.
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A super off-season has set Bell Park up with a fighting chance of recording three first grade flags in a row.
The Dragons, who won back-to-back GCA3 first grade titles before being promoted to division two, nabbed former North Geelong bowler Brad Apps as a playing assistant coach, young Tasmanian batter Sam Elliston-Buckley and former Premier bat Nikhil Deep Pottabathini.
An accountant, Indian-born and raised Pottabathini was previously based in Bendigo with his visa requiring him to live in the regions.
And before joining the Dragons for the 2024-25 season, Pottabathini enjoyed cricketing stints at several Melbourne clubs, including Sunshine and then Essendon and Carlton where he played first grade.
He had moved to Australia from his native Hyderabad to complete his Masters in 2018, but years later, he would come to master the bowlers of GCA2.
However, it wasn’t that way at first.
Pottabathini recorded twin globes across the opening two rounds against Torquay and Saturday’s opponent in Murgheboluc, after former Essendon teammate and skipper James Seymour helped facilitate a move to Hamlyn Park.
The 28-year-old leftie told this masthead it took some time to adjust to GCA tracks, having played on synthetic wickets at Camrea CC the previous summer.
“After I made two ducks in a row, I was just waiting to score one run, that was my plan that game,” Pottabathini said.
“I ended up scoring 50 and then I kept scoring a few runs every game.”
A “few runs” is something of an understatement.
Pottabathini has gone on an absolute tear ever since, scoring 675 runs from his last 10 hits at an average of 67.5 — those digs include 52, 60, 92, 84, 125, 44, 53, 23, 66 and 76.
He finished the regular season at the top of the GCA2 first grade batting aggregate, eventually stealing the mantle from Leopold’s Tom Treble (558 runs at 42.92) and Lara’s Andrew Hughes (550 runs at 68.75).
Pottabathini realised he had been too timid in his opening two hits and had retreated into a “different zone”.
“I feel the reason I failed for the first two games, last year when I played with Camrea, it was just synthetic cricket, and the first two games I was expecting more pace, I had played a lot of hard wicket cricket,” he said.
“I just realised this is not my game, especially the first two games I thought, I went into my shell.
“A different wicket, different conditions. So I just went into a different zone.
“And then the third match I realised this is not my game, instead of worrying too much about all these things, I thought I should just concentrate on my batting and it kept working for me.”
Pottabathini and his fellow Dragons will now prepare for Murgheboluc and their master bowler Jason Grozdanovski (37 wickets at 12.43).
And the Frogs will be smarting after being rolled for just 86 in last weekend’s semi-final to the unbeaten Lara.
Incredibly, the Cats will field teams in all four grand finals next weekend, in a stunning club response since being demoted from GCA1.
They could go one better than St Peter’s last year by winning four senior flags.
Bears bowler hits his stride after being dropped
The weather gods haven’t been kind to one GCA3 challenger.
For the second match in a row against last year’s grand finalists, Alexander Thomson has been denied the chance to get the better of minor premiers Thomson.
Back in Round 7, the Tigers posted 165 off a grinding 76.1 overs at Highton Reserve before wet weather ruined any chance of play on the second Saturday in early November.
Fast forward four months, and the Tigers were 1-24 chasing AT’s 144 before once again wet weather ruined what could have been a grandstand finish at Godfrey St.
Once more, it had been a grind for the Tigers as they faced 21 overs to stumps.
Meanwhile, the demoted Marshall, who face Alexander Thomson in a preliminary final from this Saturday, is in fine bowling nick having rolled Waurn Ponds Deakin for 122 and then 89 over successive weekends.
Taylor Cameron, whose accurate and miserly work has been compared to that of former international Adam Dale, produced the stunning figures of 3-23 from 19 overs in week one of the finals.
It’s been a season of two halves for Cameron, with just two wickets at 89 from his first six appearances at the crease.
However, since a five-wicket haul against Bannockburn (5-41 off 28 overs) after being dropped to the twos, he’s grabbed 19 wickets at 14 ever since.
The Bears have yet to beat the Vikings this season so they’ll be hoping for third time lucky.
Rosellas continue hunt for back-to-back titles
Lethbridge is a step closer to back-to-back GCA4 titles and will face a stung Little River from Saturday on the Redbacks’ home turf.
The Rosellas were in a spot of bother early in their semi against Newcomb & District at 6-90 at Lethbridge Recreation Reserve last Saturday with the loss of arguably their most important player, Shane Dillon for 30.
However, Vihang Ahlawat (29) and Blake Spiller (20 not out) combined to add 48 crucial runs and give the Rosellas something to bowl at.
The Dinos would be rolled for 119 in reply to 9-188, with Dillon proving what a 24 carat gold finals performer he is with 4-20.
Meanwhile, Little River will need to put a shocker behind them after the Rams steamrolled them for just 102 and reached the target with six wickets in hand and 27.1 overs to spare.
It was the new recruits doing the damage again with Matt Ringin (4-19) and Harli Givvens (2-17, 32 off 19 rocks with three sixes) dominant, while Chesney Milne grabbed 3-20 — it took his season’s haul to 36 poles.
The Rams will look to add a 50-over title to its T20 triumph back on Australia Day.
It was a reasonably quiet day by Redbacks all-rounder Nicholas Fairchild’s standards – he won the batting and bowling aggregate after the regular season – with 26 and no wickets, so expect a response at Little River Reserve.
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Originally published as How Nikhil Deep Pottabathini bounced back from consecutive ducks to absolutely boss GCA2
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