While most young cricketers dream of breaking into the Indian Premier League (IPL), 19-year-old Yashvardhan Dalal has his sights set on red-ball cricket. Inspired by his childhood idol, Virat Kohli, Dalal’s priority is to excel in the longer format. The Haryana batsman made history on Saturday, scoring an unbeaten 428 against Mumbai in a CK Nayudu Trophy match at the Shri Ram Narain Cricket Club (SRNCC) ground in Sultanpur. He became the first player to cross the 400-run mark in the tournament’s history by shattering by a mile the previous record holder Sameer Rizvi’s 312.
“This has been the most satisfying knock of my career so far,” Dalal told The Indian Express.
“I’ve heard Virat Kohli talk so often about the importance of red-ball cricket. It’s embedded in my head that red-ball cricket is the real deal. My priority is to succeed in red-ball cricket first, with the aim of playing the Ranji Trophy for Haryana. That’s my topmost priority. Once you do well in red-ball cricket, white-ball cricket gets easier,” he added.
During his 465-ball marathon, Dalal struck 46 fours and 12 sixes. In his previous two matches in the competition, he batted at No.3, but for this game, Haryana Under-23 coach Jitender Siwach, who has trained Dalal at the SRNCC Academy in Rohtak for the last six years, decided to promote him to open the innings.
“He scored a quick 67 at No.3 against Jharkhand in Lahli. He has always been an opener, and it was just a gut feeling. He did well, and our team is in a very strong position,” Siwach, who has played 75 first-class matches for Haryana, said.
Under the new CK Nayudu Trophy rules, the BCCI has removed the toss, allowing the visiting team to choose whether to bat or bowl first. Mumbai opted to bowl, and Haryana, powered by Dalal’s unbeaten 428, declared at 742 for 8. In response, Mumbai were bowled out for 162 in their first innings and were staring down the barrel at 38 for 3 in their second outing.
“There was grass on the pitch, which is why they chose to bowl. But we know our home conditions well and knew that it would start turning from Day 3, so we made the most of it,” Dalal said.
Apart from Dalal and his opening partner Arsh Ranga (151), other batters found it challenging to score on the surface. The two shared a 410-run partnership for the first wicket.
Appetite for big scores
“He batted beautifully. You could say it was a chanceless knock. He took his time initially, and once he was set, he played his shots. One remarkable thing about Yash’s batting is his appetite for big scores and his tendency to play straight. He has all the shots for T20 cricket, but he prefers traditional cricketing shots. He showed his 360-degree game after crossing 200,” Siwach said.
Dalal, who hails from Jhajjar, joined the SRNCC Academy in Rohtak in search of better training facilities.
“Rohtak is only 30 minutes from Jhajjar, and I used to take the local bus. I represent Jhajjar in inter-district competitions. Once I did well in the Under-14s, the Haryana Cricket Association took good care of me. Since the age of 14-15, we’ve had specific training and dietary guidelines. I want to dedicate this knock to my father Shailendra Dalal and Anirudh Chaudhry sir (former BCCI treasurer),” he said.
Brief Scores from Haryana vs Mumbai:
Haryana 1st Innings: 742 for 8 in 177 overs (Yashvardhan Dalal 428 not out, Arsh Ranga 151) vs Mumbai 1st innings: 162 all out in 53.1 overs (Manan Bhatt 47; Parth Vats 5/19) & 38 for 3 in 25 overs
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