After U-19 WC high, Dhull slams ton on FC debut

Delhi’s Yash Dhull celebrates his century against Tamil Nadu on the opening day of his Ranji Trophy debut at Guwahati yesterday. Pic/PTI

"Sir, only if I work hard will I play elite cricket," said Yash Dhull while describing how life changes after an U-19 World Cup win, with a heady cocktail of fame, adulation, money and hanger-ons capable of sending a young mind into a tailspin.

But on Thursday, at the Barsapara Stadium in Guwahati, Dhull started his journey from being among the boys with a muscular hundred - 113 off 150 balls - against a good Tamil Nadu side on the opening day of the Ranji Trophy.

Delhi finished the opening day at 291-7. Dhull doesn't have the swagger that West Delhi's steely 18-year-old Virat Kohli had during those early conversations nor the spunk which made St Stephen's and Modern School (Barakhamba) alumnus Unmukt Chand the toast of the nation back in 2012.

With his golden ear studs, Manjot Kalra had a rock-star appearance but one look at Dhull and he would seem like a person happy to disappear in a crowd and then suddenly come out owning the stage, like it has always belonged to him. The pull shots that he played off Tamil Nadu pacers M Mohammed, Sandeep Warrier and Saravanakumar P showed that he was well prepared.

Anything short or wide was punished and he also used his feet well, stepping out time and again, against spinners Ravisrinivasan Sai Kishore and Baba Aparajith.

At 97, he got a reprieve and, as they say, fortune does favour the brave as he completed a ton on debut, just like another U-19 World Cup winning-captain Prithvi Shaw. Eerily, the opponent is also the same - Tamil Nadu.

Is he the next big thing? Too early to say, but he does tick all the boxes when it comes to first-class cricket and the transition seemed seamless.

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