Upendra shines for Railways as Kohli mania grips Delhi

Upendra Yadav shines in Ranji Trophy match against Delhi, scoring 95 runs in front of a boisterous crowd.

Upendra Yadav has played four matches for India A. He has also been part of the Sunrisers Hyderabad squad in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Never in the 28-year-old’s decade-long career until Thursday, though, did he ever know what it is like to play a game in front of a boisterous crowd of 12,000-plus.

That privilege or pressure, depending on a player’s outlook, was experienced by the Railways wicketkeeper-batter against Delhi on day one of their Group D Ranji Trophy clash at the Arun Jaitley Stadium. All thanks to the mania around Virat Kohli that had gripped the breezy air in Delhi as the batting megastar took part in the First Class competition after more than 12 years.

Upendra coped with the electric atmosphere just fine, scoring a crucial 95 to take Railways to 241 after it was tottering at 66 for five in the morning session. At the close, Delhi was 41 for one, with Kohli slated to come in as and when a wicket falls on Friday.

For the cheering fans that had turned up from many parts of the national capital and its surrounding districts, the ideal situation on Thursday would have been for the host to win the toss and bat in order to watch Kohli wield his magic at No. 4. Even when Delhi skipper Ayush Badoni opted to bowl, watching five Railways wickets fall before the lunch break would have kept their hopes up of that possibility.

But Upendra’s 104-run stand with Karn Sharma was pivotal in taking Railways to a competitive total and delaying Kohli’s arrival to the crease by a day. Saini finally broke the partnership when he had Karn caught at fine leg on 50.

“When we play in the Ranji Trophy, we don’t see such crowds. It feels good when a big player is taking part. It did feel overwhelming. I could never be in the playing XI in the IPL and get the feel of such a big atmosphere. The feeling when the crowd roars and makes noise is totally different. I was able to feel that today,” Upendra said.

The scores: Railways — 1st innings: Anchit Yadav lbw b Siddhant 7, Vivek Singh b Saini 0, Suraj Ahuja c Shivam b Siddhant 14, Mohammad Saif c Pranav b Grewal 24, Upendra Yadav c Shivam b Mathur 95, Bhargav Merai lbw b Grewal 0, Karn Sharma c Dhull b Saini 50, Ayan Chaudhari c Dhull b Saini 0, Himanshu Sangwan c Dhull b Mathur 29, Rahul Sharma b Sumit Mathur 0, Kunal Yadav (not out) 1; Extras (b-12, lb-4, nb-5): 21; Total (in 67.4 overs): 241.