Ex-India U-19 cricketer Nehal Wadhera smashes 578 in Punjab U-23 event

Nehal Wadhera was born a month earlier than Yuvraj Singh made his worldwide debut in Nairobi within the 12 months 2000. His total adolescence was seemingly spent watching the fashionable left-hander vogue wins for India.

On Thursday, the 21-year-old, representing Ludhiana, smashed 578 towards Bathinda U-23 within the semifinals of the Punjab State Inter-district event on the GRD Cricket Ground in Ludhiana.

Nehal smashed 42 fours and 37 sixes throughout his keep on the crease. Ludhiana declared at 880/6 on Day 2 of the four-day match. In reply, Bathinda have been 117/4 at stumps.

“I am yet to check whether I made a world record or not, but I am happy with my performance… We are striving hard to win the tournament as my contribution is for the team,” Wadhera instructed The Indian Express.

His father Kamal Wadhera runs a training institute in Ludhiana.

Wadhera knock was studded with 42 fours and 37 sixes. (Express Photo)

“Yuvi ki yaad dila di (reminded one of Yuvi),” says Charanjit Bhangu, below whose steerage Nehal began taking part in the sport on the Ludhiana District Cricket Association.

“I can’t remember exactly the date but in one of the matches against Ludhiana, Yuvi had smashed around 400 runs for Chandigarh. I was the wicketkeeper in that match for Ludhiana,” recollects an elated Bhangu. “Nehal started coming to me in middle school
and I saw a spark in him since childhood.”

Young Wadhera has modelled his sport on his idol Yuvraj; within the upright stance, flowing cowl drive, punchy again foot photographs and common flamboyance, one can discover hanging similarities with the previous India middle-order batsman.

“You can see glimpses of Yuvraj in him (Nehal). There is an elegance and his batting is effortless. His hand-eye co-ordination is brilliant; the timing, the placement, everything is just perfect,” says Bhangu.

Nehal is a former member of the Indian U-19 group. During the tour to Sri Lanka in July 2018, he had struck two half-centuries, together with 81 on his worldwide U-19 debut. In the 2017-18 Cooch Behar Trophy, he had made 540 runs with six half-centuries.

Earlier this 12 months, Nehal was referred to as by Indian Premier League franchise Rajasthan Royals for a trial. However, he was not picked by any group through the public sale. But the left-hander feels his stint with the Royals in Nagpur and the time he spent with coach Kumar Sangakkara has helped enhance his cricket.

“At the Rajasthan Royals camp, Sangakkara sir encouraged me a lot. He motivated me and told me that my game is good. He spent quality time with me. Based on his inputs, I’m working on my power-hitting and hopefully, I will get a chance to play for the senior Punjab team and IPL in the future,” says Wadhera, who’s but to make his senior debut for Punjab.

Wadhera was a part of Punjab’s Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 squad however didn’t get an opportunity to play. He is the third cricketer from Ludhiana to have performed for India at any stage. Before him, Yashpal Sharma, who was a member of the 1983 World Cup-winning Indian group, and Gagandeep Singh have represented the nation on the senior stage.

Wadhera had starred with each bat and ball towards Kapurthala within the earlier spherical, which resulted in an outright win and Ludhiana’s entry into the semifinals of the competitors. His unbeaten 151 had put the group in a commanding place however when the match appeared destined to finish in a draw, Wadhera took three wickets in fast succession together with his tweakers to vogue a win.