It has been nothing less than a sensational run for India Under-19 skipper Yash Dhull in the ICC U-19 World Cup 2022. Leading the team successfully to record fifth World Cup title is undoubtedly the stuff dreams are made of but there are more dimensions to Dhull that make him a future prospect.
Showcasing terrific batting skills has been another significant point of Dhull that cannot be overlooked at all. The Delhi-born batter could not carry his semi-final and contributed with a 17-run knock in the 46-run partnership for the third wicket against England in the ICC U-19 World Cup 2022 final. However, he showed his class in the semi-final clash against Australia with a record-equalling 110-run knock.
The background
Before becoming the leader of the Indian side, Dhull had played in multiple age-group tournaments. Previously, during one particular U-19 event, in Nepal, 15-year-old Dhull had bagged the player of the series award as well.
Later, in the Vinoo Mankad Trophy, which was played in 2021, Dhull scored 302 runs in five games for the Delhi state team, at an average of 75.50 for his side.
World Cup journey
The 19-year-old skipper started the World Cup on a positive note after he scored 82 runs off 100 balls against South Africa in the first match of the tournament. Indian team eventually managed to secure a 45-run victory in the match.
In the second match of the event, India did win the match against Ireland but they did not have skipper Dhull in the squad as he missed out on the game after testing positive for the Covid-19 virus.
But the virus could not do much damage to Dhull’s batting and certainly there was no change in his mindset either. After recovering and regaining full fitness, Dhull was back to the field against Bangladesh in the quarter-final. The Indian bowling lineup did a tremendous job to restrict the defending champions for a paltry total of 111 runs in 37.1 overs.
In reply, India reached the target with 115 balls remaining and skipper Dhull contributed with an unbeaten 20 off 26 balls.
But he probably had kept his best performance in reserve and was waiting for the right moment to unleash it. In the semi-final against Australia, Dhull played a terrific innings of 110 runs off 110 balls as Indian team reached a formidable total of 290 runs for five wickets in 50 overs.
Dhull came down to bat when his side were reeling at 37/2 in 12.3 overs. He shared a superb partnership of 204 runs off 200 balls along with Shaik Rasheed (94 runs off 108 balls) to help India put on a good total. Dhull showed maturity and remarkable composure during his innings as he became only the third Indian skipper to hit a ton in the U-19 World Cup and in doing so, Dhull joined an elite list which was occupied by Virat Kohli and Unmukt Chand.
Eventually, Indian team won the match by 96 runs and secured their place for the final.
In the final game
In the final match, Dhull could not perform to the best of his abilities with the bat. He was spot on with his bowling changes and field settings `but could score only 17 runs in the tricky run chase.
It is difficult to say whether Dhull’s victory in the U-19 World Cup will be remembered as the best or not but it is needless to say that his leadership and batting will be remembered by the fans and followers of the game for a long time.
