NEW DELHI: Dhruv Shorey is an anomaly in Delhi cricket. He has already amassed 787 runs in five Ranji Trophy matches this season even as the team is reeling at the bottom of the table.
Batting with fever on Friday, his 185 runs, along with Himmat Singh's 104, helped Delhi overhaul Andhra's first-innings score of 459/9 and bag three points at the Ferozeshah Kotla. This is the first time in the season that Delhi have managed to take a first-innings lead.
Shorey is an interesting case study. He averages 56 over eight seasons of Ranji Trophy. Perhaps one of the most aesthetically correct batters in the country, Shorey has played defining knocks time and again, including hundreds in Ranji semis and final. Yet, he has never been considered even for India ‘A'. He is the only heavy-scoring batter after Rishabh Pant and it's not a surprise he is the leading scorer in the country this season.
The 30-year-old showed his class while carrying a young and inexperienced batting lineup.
Shorey weathered the storm late on Day Two, then consolidated on Day Three before setting up a thrilling chase on the final day while shepherding Himmat to his maiden first-class century.
However, one may question Andhra captain Hanuma Vihari's decision to opt for the short ball tactic on a slow Kotla pitch against No. 10 Harshit Rana and No. 11 Divij Mehra even as Delhi were 36 short when the ninth wicket fell. As a result, the last-wicket partnership yielded unbeaten 65 runs before the two teams shook hands.
"It does hurt when my name is not discussed for the next level despite consistent scores. But I can only motivate myself to keep scoring big," Shorey said.
"We can still go for big shots from the first ball, but I have learnt to curb myself. I don't let go of scoring opportunities."
