In T20 rush, Ayush Doseja stands apart

Ayush Doseja, a batsman with a rare cool temperament in the slam-bang T20 era, is easily Delhi’s biggest find of the Ranji Trophy campaign that has once again failed to meet expectations. After making his first-class debut with a smashing double century, the left-hander has gone on to become the overall top scorer of the Ranji Trophy this season, with a current tally of 790 runs from six matches. He has so far hammered three centuries and five half-centuries.

Doseja, 23, has one more Ranji Trophy game to play, against Mumbai, and he is not letting his guard down, keen to continue with his devastating form with the bat. “I am happy, but not satisfied, with my performance in the Ranji Trophy. I am not satisfied because I feel I have missed at least two centuries, even though I have scored three tons, including a double hundred, and five half-centuries,” Doseja told Patriot in an interview before the last league match against Mumbai.

“If I had converted one or two of those half-centuries, I would have made it an even bigger season for myself. I could have converted the 75 against Himachal Pradesh into a century and the first-innings 65 against Jammu and Kashmir,” he said.

Keen to finish well

At the end of the penultimate round of pool league matches, Doseja is sitting atop the leaderboard with 790 runs at an average of 98.75 in 10 innings across six matches. He didn’t get a chance to bat in the second innings of his debut game against Hyderabad, as someone else was sent to bat at Doseja’s No. 5 position.

In second spot is Goa left-hander Abhinav Tarneja, who has just 20 runs fewer than Doseja (average 85.56, four centuries and two half-centuries). At No. 3 is Doseja’s teammate and in-form left-hander Sanat Sangwan, who has tallied 686 runs at 68.60, with two centuries and three half-centuries. So, Sangwan and Tarneja, too, will be eyeing a chance to dethrone Doseja with another big knock in the last round of matches.

Goa’s last encounter is against wooden spooners Kerala. Like Delhi, both Goa and Kerala are also out of reckoning for the quarterfinals. Mumbai, on the other hand, have already sailed into the knockouts unbeaten, and their bowlers would be charged up against Delhi.

Doseja, however, seems determined to finish the season with a bang, much like he had begun, by cracking a superb 209 (279 balls, 25x4s, 5x6s) against hosts Hyderabad at the NexGen Cricket Ground. “This is a big match against Mumbai. Playing against them is a big thing, and performing against them is even bigger,” he asserts. It will be his maiden first-class match against 42-time champions Mumbai, on their home turf.

“As a team, we haven’t had a good season. So, we will try to dominate Mumbai; we will surely not lack effort in putting up strong performances. I know we cannot qualify for the quarterfinals now, but it will matter what positives we can take out of this match and carry into next season,” Doseja reasoned.

Most satisfying knock

Doseja picks his double century as the most satisfying knock so far. Making his debut, he had a slight advantage, as he had played at the NexGen Ground previously. However, one has to score big runs to make one’s presence felt, especially on debut.

“The knock that gave me the most satisfaction has to be the double century I scored in my maiden first-class innings because I had not expected to make so many runs. Later in the season, I played a few good innings when the team was struggling. One such match was the penultimate group match against Chhattisgarh in Bengaluru. I scored a century when the team was struggling at 33 for four,” he pointed out.

Delhi’s top four batsmen — Priyansh Arya, Sanat Sangwan, Vaibhav Kandpal and captain Ayush Badoni — were back in the dressing room, all for single-digit scores. Then, Doseja dropped anchor and kept one end intact as wickets continued to fall at the other end. At one stage, Delhi were reduced to 119 for nine.

Fortunately, Doseja finally found an ally in pacer Money Grewal, and the two added 97 runs off 130 balls for the last wicket to take the total to 216. While Doseja scored an unbeaten 104 (171 balls, 13x4s), Grewal made a precious 35 off 49 balls (four fours and three sixes). “So, considering the situation we were in, I like that knock,” said Doseja.

A few regrets

Doseja rues missing opportunities to convert half-centuries into hundreds. “I am disappointed that I missed a century in the home game against Jammu and Kashmir. I should have got one, but I got out LBW while trying to play a casual shot,” he admits, having been dismissed for the innings’ top score of 65. The last five Delhi batters also failed to enter double digits. “After that match, I realised how to bat with the tailenders,” he says.

In the second innings, Doseja did well again, hitting an 88-ball 62. But Delhi’s batting flopped a second time, and the hosts were bowled out for 277, following their first-innings 211, against an inspired Jammu and Kashmir. Eventually, Jammu and Kashmir won by seven wickets — their first-ever victory over Delhi in the Ranji Trophy.

Consistent performer

Doseja had caught the eye last season with his consistent batting. He aggregated 353 runs at 88.25, with one century and four half-centuries, in the 50-over Under-23 State A Trophy. On the basis of this form, he was picked for the Ranji Trophy and was on the verge of making his debut against Saurashtra, but he twisted his ankle and was ruled out.

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A fit-again Doseja returned this season with a bang in the T20 Delhi Premier League, scoring 300 runs, including one century and two half-centuries, in 11 matches at a strike rate of 136.99 for the West Delhi Lions. The franchise went on to win the title, and Doseja was an automatic choice for the No. 5 batting position in Delhi’s Ranji Trophy team.

“I had a good debut match against Hyderabad this season. I am very happy with that,” the commerce graduate from Swami Shraddhanand College said in his calm voice, trying to put behind him that unexpected injury. No wonder, in an era in which cricketers are brought up on a staple T20 diet, Doseja provides welcome relief for the sore eyes of the game’s connoisseurs.