Within a fortnight, Yash Dhull won the U-19 World Cup, bagged an IPL contract with Delhi Capitals and scored two centuries on his first-class debut for Delhi. The polite teenager says he wants to focus on the present so the future will take care of itself.
A short interaction with Sportstar :
Q. The last few weeks would have been surreal for you. Would you have believed it if someone had told you that you’d win the U-19 World Cup, obtain an IPL contract, and score two centuries on your first-class debut, all in a matter of a few days?
A. I don’t give much thought to what the future could look like. Before the U-19 World Cup, I was just focused on my game and my preparations. I wanted to grab the opportunities I got and give my 100 per cent.
Tell us how the team coped when a few of the players, including yourself, were infected by COVID-19 in the middle of the U-19 World Cup.
Everyone was tensed when the five of us were diagnosed with COVID-19. V. V. S. Laxman and the rest of the team would speak on the phone together. And then it became pretty relaxed, and our morale improved as we would speak on the video call. So when we returned to play, we didn’t feel at all that we were returning after an illness. We were following our due process.
You seem to relish making a mark on the big stage. Is that deliberate?
I have worked hard for 11-12 years, and I want to show my capabilities. If I perform well against big teams, I will be highlighted better. I just look to take it match by match and give my 100 per cent always.
You’re only 19, and the U-19 World Cup would have been a good experience for you. What did you learn from it?
It’s a big stage, the U-19 World Cup. Players are picked for higher honours like IPL, India and India ‘A’. Players go on to play the Ranji Trophy, too. It is a good platform to test yourself before the bigger challenges. You learn what pressure is and how to handle those situations.
Did you make any good friends there from other teams?
Dewald Brewis has become my good friend. I made other friends, too, but I speak more frequently with Brewis.
Tell us about your association with the Delhi Capitals academy.
It’s been nine years since I enrolled with the Delhi Capitals academy. We used to have matches against the good cricket teams of Delhi. I gained a lot from it. It’s going on and will continue in the future as well.
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