U-19 World Cup 2022: Yash Dhull aces the art of soaking up pressure to guide India to fourth successive final – Firstcricket News, Firstpost

“Game hai, pressure to hoga hi. Lekin hum pressure ko enjoy karna chahate hai…”

Before the semi-final against Australia, Yash Dhull attended his first solo media interaction as the captain of the India Under-19 side. In that presser, this 19-year old was asked about their gameplan to tackle the pressure of a big match, that too a televised one, against a dominant opponent.

In reply, Dhull came up with the aforementioned answer. He wanted his team to enjoy this pressure and learn from it. And that is what exactly India did in the match.

Unlike some of his Delhi predecessors who led the Indian team in Youth World Cups in the past, Dhull is not exactly an in-your-face kind of a lad. Instead, off the field whenever you meet him, he will always greet you with a shy smile. There is a feel good factor about him.

However, it doesn’t mean Dhull is not aggressive as a cricketer. His calmness is a part of his aggression and it flows through his game and decision-making skills.

For instance, it was a bold call to bat first on a slightly damp pitch against the versatile Australian bowling attack. Also, after losing those two early wickets, Dhull had to lead from the front to justify his decision. And he did that, with bat in his hand. Of course, his deputy Shaik Rasheed also played his part.

It was primarily the 204-run third wicket stand between Dhull and Rasheed, which sealed India’s fate in the game as they recovered from 37 for 2 to post 290 for 5 — the highest total at the low-scoring Coolidge Cricket Ground in this Under-19 World Cup.

But it was not all that rosy for India, especially in the early overs. Jack Nisbet and Co were getting some movement out of the surface. They knew that these two batters had just made a comeback after completing their nine-day COVID isolation. Hence, Australia charged with whatever arsenal they had in their ranks.

However, there was no sign of any rustiness whatsoever in the batting of Dhull and Rasheed.

“Mai isolation k time pe TV me matches dekhta tha aur jaldi se comeback karna chahta tha. Muje intna confidence tha k jab bhi comeback karu mai match me accha kar sakta hu. Agar zyada practice bhi na kar pau to bhi koi dikkat nahi (When I was in isolation, I used to watch games on TV and was eager to make a come back. I had confidence in my abilities to do well straightway after returning to the field even if I don’t get enough time for practice),” said Dhull.

Judging from this “koi dikkat nahi” mindset of Dhull it feels that though physically these young boys are stuck in a bio bubble, mentally, there is no baggage at all. Not only can they soak pressure, but they thrive under it, much like what the Indian Under-19 skipper did in the tournament opener against South Africa under similar circumstances.

Dhull is a street-smart batter who can mould himself beautifully according to the match situation, an example of which was the way in which he paced his partnership with Rasheed.

Between the 13th over to the 28th, the duo had just three boundaries. Priority at that point was to steady the ship and provide a platform for a late onslaught. And they executed that gameplan to near perfection.

When they changed gears after the 30-over mark, it was Dhull who became the aggressor, allowing his deputy to play his natural game as an anchor. Later in the innings when Rasheed was getting into his nineties, his captain again extended his support by taking up the responsibilities of playing the big shots.

In that process, Dhull reached his century but unfortunately Rasheed missed out the three figures by six runs. But by that time, the duo had almost secured India’s place in their fourth successive Under-19 World Cup final.

Before the start of this tournament the head-coach of this India Under-19 team Hrishikesh Kanitkar spoke about how instinctive Dhull is as a leader. And now we know that under pressure he is the crisis man for the team. As a result the ‘Captain Cool’ has the respect of his teammates.

Does that ring a bell in your head?

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