“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.