Meet Yash, the run-hungry kid from Gwalior who doesn’t believe in hitting sixes

There is no dearth of cricketing talent in the country They just need to be groomed properly Gwaliorbased Yashwardhan Chouhan 13 provides a classic exampleYashwardhan has amassed 1098 runs in the last 11 days during AW Kanmadikar U13 Trophy organised by Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association MPCA an U14 selection tournamentThe Chambal Division skipper and opening batsman Yashwardhan got run out on 47 in the first twoday game against Ujjain Div But he scored 425 87x4 and 235 41x4 in the next two games versus Shahdol Div and Bhopal Div teams respectively In the ongoing threeday semifinal against Indore Div on Day Two Sunday he fell nine runs short of another 400run mark He faced 283 balls during his seven hoursplus 391 with the help of 62 fours Yashwardhan doesnrsquot have to look far for inspiration when it comes to consistency with Venkatesh Iyer showcasing his abilities Yashwardhan likes to play all along the carpet and he didnrsquot have a single six during his last four big innings Though Chambal team posted a mammoth 599 all out the Indore outfit conceded just two wides during their 1211 oversWhen asked Yashwardhan what he likes the most and why he avoids hitting sixes he told midday on Sunday ldquoI like to stay on the pitch for the maximum time to score as many runs as I can With my ground shots I get four runs easily so why should I try for a lofted shot and a six to get two extra runs Also there is more possibility of getting out while trying to hit in the airrdquoWhen former India wicketkeeperbatsman and MP head coach Chandrakant Pandit learnt about the talented kid he made his way to the RBCF Ground Ralamandal quite a distance from Indorersquos Holkar Stadium where the MP Ranji Trophy team were training campldquoMPCA Secretary Sanjeev Rao informed me about his consistent performance on Saturday So after todayrsquos Sunday Ranji teamrsquos net practice I went to watch Yashwardhan He was unbeaten on 367 on Saturday He was batting superbly having played all shots with proper technique What I liked most was that he did not hit a single ball in the airrdquo Pandit remarkedYashwardhan who also took 14 wickets in the tournament with his offspin including 646 a spell which had a hat trick against Indore DivldquoI congratulated Yash on another marathon knock and said rdquohard luckrdquo as the ball kept low and he was declared leg before to pacer Ayush Septa But I was amazed to hear his reply ldquoSir but mujhe wo ball khelna chahiye tha I had to play that ball toorsquo He did not offer any excusesrdquo Pandit saidFormer national selector and exMPCA President Sanjay Jagdale also lavished praise on Yashwardhan He said ldquoI have seen some of his videos This boy has tremendous talent and everything looks natural He looks very relaxed and his head and feet position look perfect I have not met him but I will definitely go and watch him play and I am excitedrdquoYashwardhanrsquos father Anami 45 revealed how they used to travel around 40 kms from Gwalior to Morena district in MP for practice over the last sixseven monthsldquoDuring the lockdown there was no cricketing activity in Gwalior So since last March we have travelled from Gwalior to Morena by bus daily or sometimes alternate days for his cricket practicerdquo explained Anami