NAGPUR:
Vidarbha colts
did very well throughout the season, except for two matches. They lost a game outright against Tamil Nadu and conceded an innings lead to Chhattisgarh, which they almost won.
Vidarbha couldn't get the last two Chhattisgarh wickets in the 18 odd overs. Vidarbha coach
Vikas Gavte
would have loved to have
Yash Thakur, who has the ability to bowl in any conditions and has deadly yorkers. The Vidarbha seamer was on national duty for the
Youth Asia Cup
in Sri Lanka, where the India colts won yet another title under the guidance of former India captain
Rahul Dravid.
The 17-year-old played all five matches to bag nine wickets at an average of 19.44 and economy of 4.52. He was the only seamer in top five wicket takers and did well in conditions where spinners are supposed to do the job.
"He is very sincere and a dedicated boy. He picks things up very quickly. He has good yorkers, he uses his bouncers well and executes the plan perfectly. If he keeps performing like this and keep working hard, he has a bright future," India Under-19 fielding coach Abhay Sharma, told TOI on Sunday.
It was Thakur's performance against Sri Lanka in the league phase which stood out. Sri Lanka were going along well when Yash dismissed Kamindu Mendis and Ashen Bandara in quick succession in the middle overs to rattle Sri Lankan innings. Yash then bowled in the death overs and cleaned up tailender Thilan Prasan (3-38) for his best figures in the tournament.
"Yash has performed well when the team demanded. He bowled in different situations in all the matches. He bowled with the new ball, came back in the middle overs and also bowled well in death overs. He reads the situation very well," Sharma added.
Except for the final, Yash had a fantastic tournament. "He looks a good prospect. I am really impressed with his death bowling. He had one bad match where catches went down and then he went for runs, but overall he did very well throughout the competition and played his part in winning the crown like the other boys," India Under-19 bowling coach
Paras Mhambrey told reporters in Mumbai.
Yash had a great last twelve months, where he has improved as a bowler. He has worked very hard on his fitness and that is the key to his success. He was part of the Central Zone Zonal Cricket Academy but couldn't get selected in the squad for the Inter-zonal. He took the rejection in his stride and kept performing wherever he got the opportunity.
The 17-year-old was among the top five wicket-takers after the league phase of the Vinoo Mankad Under-19 One-day tournament. The youngster picked up 12 wickets in five matches at an impressive average of 14.25 and economy of 4.08 to help Vidarbha emerge runners-up. His performance earned him a place in the India Red squad for the Challenger Trophy. India Red emerged victorious and that paved the way for his selection in the national side.
Start a Conversation
Post comment