Virag Awate had a Yash Dhull-like grand debut, but the runs dried up

The Maharashtra opener, then 31, wasn’t exactly a youngster when he got his Ranji debut against Vidarbha in Nagpur (2012-13), having scored heavily in the local invitation league on a consistent basis

Delhi’s Yash Dhull is the talking point of India’s cricketing world today for all the right reasons. The India U-19 World Cup-winning skipper scored century in each innings on his first-class debut game against Tamil Nadu in the Ranji Trophy, becoming just the third Indian to do so. And while every Indian cricket fan expects a bright future for the Delhi lad, it’s important to remember that things don’t always go as per plan. Ask Virag Awate, the last Indian to score twin tons on debut.

The Maharashtra opener, then 31, wasn’t exactly a youngster when he got his Ranji debut against Vidarbha in Nagpur (2012-13), having scored heavily in the local invitation league on a consistent basis. “I was confident going into that game. I had done well in the local league. I had waited for long for this opportunity, and I didn’t want to waste it,” Awate told mid-day. “It was a strong Vidarbha attack, with the likes of Sandeep Singh and left-arm pacer Shrikant Wagh in the pace department. Sairaj Bahutule was one of their professional players that season. The ball was turning a bit,” Awate recalled of his twin centuries. Those knocks obviously gave Awate lot of satisfaction, and were appreciated by Bahutule after the game.

However, a 25 and one against Odisha, a 38 against Haryana, and a 10 and three against Delhi in the next three games, perhaps, ended the Maharashtra selectors’ patience with the right-handed opener. With not being part of even the 15-man squad for the next two seasons, Awate signed up for Tripura as a professional in 2015. And although he scored heavily in their domestic tournaments, the first-class scores didn’t quite do justice to his potential. “Then I had a muscle tear, keeping me out for over eight months,” Awate explained. Awate’s career might not have taken the exact path that he was hoping for. But he now wants to make up for it by producing some quality cricketers. “I have my academy near Corinthians club in Mohammedwadi [outskirts of Pune]. We have a good cricket ground and have some good budding cricketers training there,” he revealed.

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