Yash Dhull, who on Sunday became only the third Indian batsman to score a hundred in each innings on Ranji Trophy debut, has a fascinating background story in the form of being India’s U-19 World Cup-winning captain.
Ditto Nari Contractor, the first batsman to experience a similar dream Ranji Trophy debut—for Gujarat against Baroda—in 1952-53. Gujarat-born Contractor hoped to play for Mumbai that season and when he didn’t get picked in the star-studded side, he agreed to play for the state of his birth. The offer was made by Pheroze Cambhatta, the Gujarat captain.
Contractor, 87, didn’t exactly jump at the opportunity but decided a little later when it dawned on him that he would be better off playing for Gujarat. Contractor scored 152 and 102 not out at Baroda in the November 21-24, 1952 game which ended in a draw.
“I offer my congratulations to young Yash,” Contractor told mid-day. “Now, there will be 100 people who will say ‘he’s my boy’ and Yash will be offered a lot of advice. Listening to all those voices won’t help him; his mind will be jumbled up. He should stay calm and carry on doing what he does best and that is, score runs through methods which work best for him,” added Contractor.
