Story of India's U-19 World Cup captain Yash Dhull: Another emerging cricket star from Delhi

Yash Dhull, who was on the brink of missing the biggest tournament of his promising career due to Covid-19, days after starring in India's U-19 World Cup opener. Having experienced the worst symptoms out of the five players who tested positive on the eve of India's second U-19 World Cup game against Ireland, the captain ended up missing the remaining leagues games. It would be normal for any teenager to feel shattered under the circumstances but here was Dhull, who resorted to shadow-batting in his seven-day isolation in Trinidad besides visualising himself on how he would play in the matches against Ireland and Uganda. The scheduling of the quarterfinal also helped, as he, along with others, was able to recover in the nick of time for the quarterfinal against Bangladesh where he made a crucial 20 not out in a low-scoring affair. The 19-year-old from the busy Janakpuri neighbourhood in West Delhi, followed that up with a match-winning hundred in the semifinals.

NCA chief VVS Laxman, who guided the victorious squad in the Caribbean, played a massive role in taking care of the Covid-hit players, including Dhull. It was the assurance from the India batting great which helped Dhull's parents relax after getting to know about his Covid-19 infection. "Laxman sir called us from there and assured us of our son's safety. He even shared his personal number and said 'call me if you have any concerns'. That was the assurance we needed at a time like that," Vijay Dhull told PTI, recalling the tough week for his son. "Yash was obviously disappointed on missing out but as he is mentally very strong, he could get by that phase. We, as a family, made a conscious effort to not talk about cricket and just asked him about his health and