Cricket
Emerging players: Deepak Khatri
Delhi’s captain and batting linchpin has been their driving force
Deepak driving Delhi forward
© Shubhodeep Pal / Red Bull Content Pool
A dynamo from Delhi, playing for Swami Shraddhanand College, Deepak Khatri has been impressing everyone who watches him bat for quite some time. He hails from Uttam Nagar, the same part of Delhi that Virat Kohli grew up in. It’s no surprise, then, that Deepak idolises Virat and aims to play cricket like him.
The similarities can be quite striking. Deepak is also a strong-willed, middle order batsman with a fighting spirit whose aggressive strokeplay and personality help both while batting and while leading his team. Not one to be cowed by tough situations, on more than one occasion, he’s stepped in when his team was struggling and stabilised the ship, sometimes singlehandedly and sometimes by providing more than able support to the batsman on the other end.
On the field, he is a quick thinker and keeps a clear mind. While formulating plans with his bowlers, he gives advice, provides a batsman’s insight and combines these with small yet strategic changes in the field that put pressure on the men at the wicket. He is usually found fielding at cover, point or square leg. As a captain he is constantly active, encouraging his teammates and getting their input on his plans.
His game has been on the up for a long time. While he represented Delhi in a few Under 19 matches, he truly shone at the 2015 edition of Red Bull Campus Cricket, which saw Swami Shraddhanand College represent India at the world championship. An astonishing innings from him against England, 73 from 46 balls with 8 fours and 3 sixes, took India to a 6-wicket victory (chasing 9 runs an over) and saw them through to the semi final.
In 2016, now captain of the team, in 2 matches of the city round, he scored 99 runs, claiming a half-century and Man of the Match in one of them. In the zonal round, he top scored with 64 from 46 balls (5 fours & 2 sixes), entering in the 2nd over and leaving with just 5 balls remaining. In a close fought match, his team made it through to the national finals.
In the gap between the zonal round and the India finals, he had the misfortune of falling ill. Bedridden, he was unable to leave his room, much less play cricket. He got better slowly and steadily, managing to get back to fitness, and announced himself fully recovered with an astonishing double century in a 40-over match. He followed this up by crossing 150 in the next match, also 40 overs, before making his way to Dehradun to represent Delhi at the India finals of Red Bull Campus Cricket 2016.
On the first match of the first day itself, he continued his streak of centuries, even though these were Twenty20 matches. His innings of 106* from 57 balls with 13 fours and 2 sixes remained the highest individual score of the entire Indian finals. The second day saw him score yet another century, this time against Mumbai’s Rizvi College, who had won the world championship in 2013 edition of Campus Cricket and represented India in the 2014 edition. He came in with Delhi at 16/2, and they were in serious trouble at 65/6 before Deepak and Shubham Dahiya stabilised their innings. Deepak went on to smash 100 from 52 balls, hitting 13 fours and 4 sixes, taking Delhi to 173/7 when he finally fell.
En route to his 2nd century
© Shubhodeep Pal / Red Bull Content Pool
While he didn’t score any more centuries, he scored a valiant 45 in their semi final against Pune, the eventual champions. He ended the India finals as the top scorer, virtually unchallenged with 277 runs from 4 matches. Aside from an average of 138.5 and a strike rate of 172.05, he also took 1 wicket, 3 catches and a run out, and claimed 2 Man of the Match awards for his back-to-back centuries. And all these numbers simply cannot quantify the effect his captaincy had on his team.
There are no statistics for morale, and yet he made vital contributions to the mindset of his team, playing attacking yet thoughtful cricket.
He told us, “Captaincy doesn’t affect my batting at all. As a captain, my team helps me make decisions. I know they depend on me and I depend on them, so it actually makes my batting even better.” Batting-wise, he is very proud of his 214 in a 40 over match. “Such a chance doesn’t come often. I was in good form and looking to prove myself. It was one of those days where everything just went right. I just put my determination behind it.”
There’s no doubt that great things are in store for Deepak Khatri. He is in a fine patch of form, and he can fall back on his will and determination should the odds against him seem steep. As he said, the more he plays, the better he gets.
Stay tuned for more on some of the most impressive emerging players from the Indian finals of Campus Cricket 2016.