New Delhi: On Thursday, at the NexGen Cricket Ground, Ayush Doseja announced his first-class cricket arrival in style, becoming the first Delhi batter to score a double century on debut – a commanding 209 off 279 balls against Hyderabad.
“I always wanted to represent Delhi at the senior level and today that aim is complete.I didn’t know that there were very few to have scored a double century on debut,” Doseja told HT after the end of day’s play. “I wasn’t satisfied when I reached the hundred-run mark, I wanted to play a long innings. After 150, I started to feel comfortable and so started to play my shots and suddenly, I realised I was in the 190s, that’s when I decided to play more sensibly for a bit.”
“I wasn’t satisfied even after the double century but I felt really happy because it was my first ever double century. I hadn’t scored a double even in age group cricket. I am just thankful to everyone who was with me through my journey.”
Doseja’s cricketing journey began at the age of six. Determined to make his mark in Delhi’s fiercely competitive circuit, the 23-year-old from Rohini has honed his skills under Ajay Choudhary at Ravi Brothers Club — who continues to coach him. Initially, Choudhary felt he was too young and advised him to join another academy, so Doseja moved to Uday Maan Cricket Academy before returning to Choudhary at 14, where he began playing in the senior DDCA league.
On what turned out to be a batting-friendly track, Doseja and opener Sanat Sangwan (211*) took full advantage. Their 319-run stand helped Delhi declare at 529/4 in their first innings against Tilak Varma-led Hyderabad on Day 2 of their Ranji Trophy opener. Coming together at a tricky 113/3, the duo steadied the innings before putting Delhi in complete control.
Speaking about his partnership with Sangwan, Doseja said, “The conversation in the middle was to make sure they don’t get desperate for any milestone. Instead, we would play every ball on its merit and once we are set, the runs would flow easily.”
Doseja revealed that he was particularly watchful against Hyderabad pacer Saranu Nishanth, the 6’9” quick who generated a steep bounce from the surface. The double ton capped off a strong start to the season for Doseja, who has been working on becoming an all-format batter. Earlier, he had impressed for West Delhi Lions in the Delhi Premier League, scoring 300 runs at an average of 42.86, including a century.
His performances have started turning heads — the left-hander was invited for trials with Delhi Capitals and Mumbai Indians. However, he will miss the latter due to his ongoing Ranji commitment.
Short of a double
Elsewhere, in Coimbatore,Ishan Kishan converted his unbeaten ton from Day 1 into 173, steering Jharkhand to 419 in their first innings with Sahil Raj (77 off 183) offering support in a 214-run partnership. Tamil Nadu are reeling at 18/5 in reply.
In Bengaluru, Vidarbha opener Aman Mokhade also fell short of a double, dismissed for 183 on Day 2, but lower-order contributions carried his team to 463 against Nagaland.
At Green Park in Kanpur, KS Bharat (142) and Shaik Rasheed (136) fell short of the doubles but took Andhra Pradesh to 470 against Uttar Pradesh.
Captains’ knocks
At the Sher-I-Kashmir Stadium in Srinagar, Mumbai posted 386, with seamer Yudhvir Singh (5/96) denying Shams Mulani (91) a maiden hundred. Jammu and Kashmir skipper Paras Dogra led from the front with an unbeaten 112, lifting his team from 32/3 to 273/7 by stumps, though Mumbai remained favourites for a first-innings lead.
In Indore, Madhya Pradesh captain Rajat Patidar struck an unbeaten 107 against Punjab on Day 2, helping his side secure a 73-run lead in their season opener at the Emerald High School Ground.
