Explosive with the willow, Lalit Yadav has a mind that is calm.
Sportstar caught up with the man who sent the Tamil Nadu fielders on a leather hunt with a stroke-filled 177 here on Friday.
Special day
Lalit said, “It had always been my dream to score a Ranji hundred. I had come close in the past but missed out. Today was a special day for me. A dream fulfilled.”
The 25-year-old Delhi all-rounder’s innings included a stunning 10 sixes. He said, “I practise range hitting. From a young age I also had the ability to play the big shots, clear the ground.”
On batting with the tail — he added 151 runs with the last two wickets to frustrate Tamil Nadu — Lalit said, “You need to show faith in them. I also managed to retain most of the strike by taking a single off the fourth or the fifth ball.”
A batting all-rounder who can send down useful off-spin, Lalit learnt much from his stint with the Delhi Capitals.
He revealed, “My conversations with Ricky Ponting really helped. He told me, ‘You are gifted. Back your ability. Play with confidence and do not have self-doubts.”
Lalit said the use of feet against spinners was something that came naturally to him. And he developed the horizontal bat shots, the cut and the pull against the paceman.
While white-ball cricket has given him exposure, the red-ball game provides him maximum satisfaction. “Red-ball cricket is the purest of all formats. I love the Ranji Trophy.”
The talented Lalit has his heart and mind at the right place.
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