Yash Dhull heroics in U19 WC semis: We have a talismanic captain in making

Yash, who has now become an overnight sensation after his century against Australia, was at the helm of a revival even in the first game against South Africa where he scored 82 off just 100 balls

The Indian Under-19 team lost both its openers before reaching a total of 50 runs only twice in the ongoing World Cup in West Indies. While the first occasion was the first match of the tournament, a group-stage encounter against South Africa, the second was the most important game of the tournament for the side, a semi-final clash against Australia. 

But in both instances, there was one constant: Indian skipper Yash Dhull showing maturity beyond his years. 

The Delhi boy who has now become an overnight sensation after his enthralling century in the semi-final against Australia was at the helm of a revival even in the first game against the South African team when he scored 82 off just 100 balls. He was unfortunately run out before completing a century in the very first game of the tournament for India. 

It may be too early to say whether he can be the next big talismanic captain in making for the Indian side, but the qualities revealed so far in his short short career span suggest he is made for bigger things. 

Attacking mindset

The upcoming breed of Indian cricketers is coming with the mindset of attacking right from the word go, a trait that has travelled through various teams in various generations. From the late 1960s till the late 1980s, it was a trait of West Indians to be naturally attacking in their approach. 

From the early 90s to 2010, the Australians made ‘attack’ their USP.  But ever since the MS Dhoni-led Indian side won the 2011 ODI World Cup, India has been the next acquirer of that trait. And Dhull’s approach in the ongoing tournament, both while captaining and batting, is a perfect example of it. 

In the semi-final, when Dhull came to bat, India was struggling at 37-2 in the 13th over. But instead of taking a defensive approach and playing out some overs before attacking in the end, the right-hander played shots that were unique and the Australian bowlers, especially spinners, had little or no idea of these. 

He was getting out of the crease more often than not. But more importantly, even while attacking, his shots were mostly grounded, meaning he lowered the risk of losing a wicket on a bad ball. Only a ball worth picking a wicket could have got him out. In that regard, he resembled Virat Kohli. 

Leading from the front

In the first game against South Africa, he was the one who took the attack to the opposition, allowing vice-captain Shaik Rashid to play his natural game and take time to settle down. In the semi-final too, when he came on to bat, Rashid had been at the crease for longer, having faced 17 balls. But it was Dhull who decided that the Australian pacers must be dealt with such that their swing was negated. 

Later on, when the spinners came, he made the most of it, reaching his fifty earlier than Rashid and even completing his hundred ever so quickly. Dhull reached his maiden World Cup century in just 106 balls, while he reached his fifty in 64, meaning he effectively scored the next 50 runs off just 42 balls. 

Dhull's art of taking up the responsibility and leading the team from the front is copy-book Dhoni. Although it is ironic that Dhoni never played the game in a textbook style, be it in batting or while captaining. 

Calmness and a zeal to come back from the dead

Another aspect where Dhull is closer to getting in the ‘Dhoni Mode’, if one may say so, is his approach to rotating his bowlers and not panicking in tricky situations. He is also not very aggressive in the field but knows what must be done to achieve the end result. 

When the Australian pair of Campbell Kellaway and Corey Miller settled down and looked like they might pose a threat going further in the game, especially because of the way they were playing the Indian fast bowlers as well as the regular spin bowlers, Dhull showed his versatility as a skipper. 

Angkrish Raghuvanshi, who could not even be termed as a part-time bowler was introduced by Dhull because he could bowl off-spin and two left-handers were at the crease. And bang! There was the desired result as the off-spinner broke through and removed a dangerous-looking Miller. Prior to this game, Rahguvanshi had bowled just once in his last 10 games. And it wasn’t that he had been tried for a longer period in the game. Just as he picked the wicket, he was removed from attack because the job was done. Yet another example of smart captaincy. 

Dhull was also among the five Indian players who were struck by Covid-19 in the middle of the tournament. But he chose to fight back and made an incredible comeback to hit a century in the most important fixture for the team so far. 

The only thing missing from his armoury to climb up to the next level is an ICC trophy. And the way the team has performed so far, he seems to ge inching closer to entering the academy of talismanic Indian leaders after India's final tie against England on February 5.