Guwahati: Indian U-19 star Yash Dhull capped off a dreamed-up first-class debut by scoring his second hundred of the game when the Ranji Trophy Group H match between Delhi and Tamil Nadu ended in a draw here on Sunday.
With his 113 from 202 balls unbeaten on the fourth and final day, Dhull became only the third batter after Nari Contractor (1952/53) and Virag Awate (2012/13) who scored a hundred in each innings in the debut of the Ranji Trophy.
After Shahrukh Khan gave Tamil Nadu the all-important lead in the first innings with a sensational 194 off 148 balls on day three, Dhull and his senior opening partner Dhruv Shorey (107 of 165) hit 60.5 overs to take Delhi to 228 without a loss in the second innings before the players shook hands for a tie.
Dhull, who came straight into the game from the U-19 World Cup triumph in the Caribbean and with no recent red ball cricket under his belt, immediately showed that he was at the first-class level.
His second hundred of the game came in easier batting conditions. With Delhi under pressure at seven to two on day one, the 19-year-old showed remarkable skill and maturity to get the team out of trouble and help them to 452 alongside Lalit Yadav.
Thanks to Shahrukh’s display of brutal batting, Tamil Nadu took three runs compared to Delhi’s one after reaching 494 in their first innings.
Delhi will face Jharkhand in their second match on February 24.
“Game-wise, Dhull is ready to play for India”
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After the match, Delhi coach Raj Kumar Sharma who is also the youth coach of Virat Kohli said that Dhull should be included in the Indian team soon.
“He is game-ready for the next level (India). I want to follow him quickly. Spending time with older players in the Indian lineup will only make him a better player.
“Yash has shown that he can dominate white ball cricket while also having the game to do well in the longer version.
“It was a dream debut for him. We were under pressure early on the first day and the way he dominated Sandeep Warrier was a sight to behold. Tamil Nadu put us under pressure, but his temper stood out,” Sharma said. PTI.
The coach also chose his opening day one hundred of the two he made in the game, as it came after Tamil Nadu deployed them in test conditions.
Sharma said his team played well and Shahrukh’s knock separated the two sides.
“He played some incredible shots and took the game away from us. If it wasn’t for him the first innings lead would have been ours. The wicket got better and better as the game went on and on day four there was no help for the bowlers.”
Ishant, Saini available for Jharkhand clash
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Bowling in Delhi will be boosted by the return of Indian pacers Ishant Sharma and Navdeep Saini.
Ishant, who was dropped from the Sri Lanka series next month, has started training after completing his five-day quarantine.
“Ishant has started training and the availability of him and Navdeep for the next match is good news for us and strengthens bowling significantly,” added Sharma.
Ishant had previously made himself unavailable for selection for the competition matches.
Short scores:
Delhi 1st innings: 452 all out and 228 for no loss in 60.5 overs (Yash Dhull 113 not out; Dhruv Shorey 107 not out).
Tamil Nadu 1st innings 494 all-out in 107.5 overs.
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