Nishant SIndhu returned unbeaten on 93 against Tripura (Source: HCA)Dejected, shaking his head, but with a childish smile, Nishant Sindhu walked back to the dressing room at the Airforce ground in Palam, to loud applause from his Haryana teammates.
The 17-year-old all-rounder, one of the heroes of India’s victorious campaign at the recent ICC Under-19 World Cup, returned unbeaten on 93 against Tripura, putting his team in the driver’s seat when stumps were drawn on the second day of their Ranji Trophy encounter, his first-class debut. After being asked to bat, Haryana had put on a mammoth 556. In reply, Tripura were 56/1.
Sindhu had done something that he has done several times in age-group cricket – batting with the tail and adding valuable runs for his side. The teenager said he derives a lot of satisfaction from it but is a bit disappointed that he remained stranded in the 90s, missing the chance to score a century to mark a significant occasion for him.
“Thoda disappointed tha but aage aur bhi mauke milege (I was a bit disappointed, but I will get more chances in the future),” Sindhu told The Indian Express after the day’s play.
Sindhu, who came to bat at No. 7, added 176 runs with the lower-order batsmen. He put on 44 for the eighth wicket with Anshul Kamboj (29), 47 for the ninth with Ajit Chahal (24), before a 73-run stand with last man Tinu Kundu (18). Kundu lost his wicket going for a wild hoick, potentially denying Sindhu a debut hundred.
“I enjoy batting in such situations,” Sindhu said. “It brings the best out of me. The century could have been the cherry on the cake, but I succeeded in taking the team to a good position batting with tail-enders.”
The youngster said his tactic in such situations is to set smaller targets and try to face as many balls as possible. Sindhu underplayed his own contribution and highlighted the efforts of Kamboj, Chahal and Kundu.
“They are my seniors in the team and experienced too. They curbed their natural instincts and hung in there, while the grit they showed was commendable,” he said.
It has been a hectic time for Sindhu since returning from the Caribbean. He has lived out of a suitcase for the past three months and is yet to go home in Rohtak post the Under-19 World Cup win. Sindhu had met his parents for just 30 minutes in Delhi before joining the Haryana senior team’s bio-bubble.
“I met them for only a little while after coming from Ahmedabad (where the entire World Cup-winning team was felicitated). I will spend quality time with them once the Ranji season is over,” said Sindhu.
Friday’s knock was even more praiseworthy as Sindhu had not played any red-ball cricket this season after being named in India U-19 squad.
“But I’ve played a lot of red-ball cricket in age-group cricket, so the transition was pretty smooth. I think it is all about the mindset. I always had faith in my core skills and confidence that when the situation arises, I won’t fail in execution,” said Sindhu, who scored a half-century to take India home against England in the U-19 World Cup final.
Brief Scores: Haryana 1st innings: 556 in 155.3 overs (Yashi Sharma 129, Nishant Sindhu 93 not out; Sankar Paul 5/141, Mura Singh 3/106). Tripura 1st innings: 56 for 1 in 24 overs
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