Yash Dhull scored twin century in Ranji debut
India U-19 star Yash Dhull capped off a dream first-class debut by scoring his second hundred of the game as the Ranji Trophy Group H match between Delhi and Tamil Nadu ended in a draw here on Sunday.
With his unbeaten 113 off 202 balls on the fourth and final day, Dhull became only the third batter after Nari Contractor (1952/53) and Virag Awate (2012/13) to score a hundred in each innings on Ranji Trophy debut.
After Shahrukh Khan got Tamil Nadu the all-important first-innings lead with a sensational 194 off 148 balls on day three, Dhull and his senior opening partner Dhruv Shorey (107 off 165) batted for 60.5 overs to take Delhi to 228 for no loss in the second innings before the players shook hands for a draw.
Dhull, who came into the game straight from the U-19 World Cup triumph in the Caribbean and with no recent red-ball cricket under his belt, instantly showed that he belonged to the first-class level. His second hundred of the match came in easier batting conditions. With Delhi under pressure at seven for two on day one, the 19-year-old showed remarkable skill and maturity to bail the team out of trouble and help them to 452 along with Lalit Yadav.
Courtesy Shahrukh's display of brutal hitting, Tamil Nadu gained three points compared to Delhi's one after reaching 494 in their first innings.
Delhi faces Jharkhand in their second game on February 24.
"Game-wise, Dhull is ready to play for India"
After the game, Delhi coach Raj Kumar Sharma, who is also the childhood coach of Virat Kohli, said Dhull should be fast-tracked into the Indian team.
"He is ready for the next level (India) game-wise. I would like to fast track him. When he spends time with senior players in the India setup, he will only become a better player.
"Yash has shown he can dominate in white-ball cricket and at the same has the game to do well in the longer version. It was a dream debut for him. We were under pressure early on day one and the way he dominated the likes of Sandeep Warrier was a sight. Tamil Nadu had us under pressure but his temperament stood out," Sharma told PTI.
The coach also picked his opening day hundred out of the two he made in the game as it came after Tamil Nadu put them in to bat in testing conditions.
Sharma said his team played well and Shahrukh's knock separated the two sides.
"He played some unbelievable shots and took the game away from us. If it was not for him, the first innings lead was ours. The wicket became better and better as the game progressed and by day four there was no help for the bowlers."
Ishant, Saini available for Jharkhand clash
Delhi bowling will be bolstered by the return of India pacers Ishant Sharma and Navdeep Saini. Ishant, who has been dropped for the Sri Lanka series next month, has started training after completing his five-day quarantine. "Ishant has started training and his and Navdeep's availability for the next game is good news for us and strengthens the bowling significantly," Sharma added. Ishant had earlier made himself unavailable for selection for the league games.
