Delhi-born achieves rare feat in cricket

Delhi born wicketkeeper-batsman Yash Verma became the youngest batsman to score a century at the Asian Cricket Council’s under-16 Western Region tournament playing for Oman in a match against Maldives recently. Yash scored 107 runs in 96 balls with a strike rate of 111.46 taking the overall score for his team to 271 runs in 30.3 overs.

On breaking the record, Yash says, “Cricket has been my passion. I’ve learned from watching Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli on the field and the TV. I’m honoured to have won the feat and the man of the match award. Going forward I’m eager to play in the Indian Premier League.”

Elated with this win, Yash’s father, Akshay Verma added, “This is a heartfelt moment and a proud moment for me, personally. It’s a onetime opportunity and not one everyone gets in this age and time. I feel honored to help him pursue his passion.”

The 14-year-old right handed batsman, who was born on May 24, 2005 in Delhi, has also toured England and Australia to gain exposure to conditions that he would usually not get in the Gulf country.

FACTFILE

■ Yash won the Best Batsman Award for Under-13 Oman Local tournaments at the age of 11 years in 2016.

■ He got the man of the match award in Australia and UK playing for BOC (a recognised cricket club in Oman) against local clubs.

■ He also received the man of the match award at the age of 13 years playing for India Celebrity team against Oman Celebrity team in January 2019.