Uttarakhand’s ‘Delhi Boy’ Deepak Dhapola wreaks havoc with back-to-back hat-tricks | Top Vip News

Uttarakhand fast bowler Deepak Dhapola has made a habit of producing eye-catching performances. Since his debut for the state during the 2018-19 Ranji Trophy season to the ongoing campaign, Deepak has proven to be a reliable bowler who uses the new ball to inflict damage thanks to his ability to generate swing and throw consistently. ball in the correct areas.

Deepak dreamed of playing professional cricket for Delhi, but after waiting in the wings for several years and not getting the opportunity, Deepak decided it was time to move on. He switched to Uttarakhand and, on debut, produced an impressive show in Dehradun, cruising through the Bihar batting line-up to finish with a total of 9/61 in a 10-wicket win for which he won the player of- match prize.

He would finish the season with 45 wickets in 8 games at an average of 15.51.

Cut to the ongoing Ranji Trophy campaign and Deepak is back in the headlines. This time for getting hat-tricks in consecutive games. His first hat-trick was against Puducherry in Dehradun and the next against Delhi in Mohali.

Uttarakhand currently faces Delhi in their fourth Elite Group D match of the Ranji Trophy 2023-24 at the Punjab Cricket Association Stadium, a contest that began on Friday. After taking a 92-run lead in the first innings, Uttarakhand stunned Delhi by reducing them to 11/5 in five overs in their second dig on Saturday.

Deepak, 33, inflicted maximum damage as he began the job of demolishing Delhi’s batting order with the sixth delivery of the second innings, getting rid of opener Arpit Rana for a six-ball duck. He then took two wickets off the first two deliveries of his next over, including the scalps of Yash Dhull and Kshitiz Sharma to complete his hat-trick.

Speaking to News18 CricketNext, after finishing Day 2 with figures of 4/43 in 11 overs, which also helped him complete 100 wickets in first-class cricket, Deepak said the plan was to exploit the useful pitch before that he would improve at hitting.

“In the afternoon the field was behaving quite well and we had to take advantage of the new ball. Over time, he got better (at hitting). In Mohali, the field on the first day helps a lot (for the bowlers) and it settles down as the game progresses. So our plan was to keep the new ball in the right areas and continue creating opportunities. So I ended up doing that and got the land,” Deepak said from Mohali.

Deepak initially trained and began playing professionally under the guidance of former Delhi cricketer and coach Rajkumar Sharma, famous for being Indian batting superstar Virat Kohli’s childhood coach.

“I started playing professional cricket with him (Rajkumar),” Deepak said. “I played cricket in Delhi for almost 10-12 years. I was on the waiting list, I even played in Kolkata (for some time). I kept taking wickets but didn’t get a chance (for state teams). So I decided to move to Uttarakhand. By God’s grace and hard work, I have been taking wickets (regularly).”

Having started his FC career with a memorable debut and a wicket-filled season, the journey ahead for Deepak proved challenging. He spent most of the next two seasons on the sidelines, recovering from a knee and then a back injury.

Deepak credited Cricket Association of Uttarakhand (CAU) secretary Mahim Verma for backing him during the Test time.

“For two years I was injured (2019-20 and 2020-21). And coming back from those injuries was quite a challenge. Mahim Verma supported me a lot during that phase and I was able to come back successfully because of him,” he said.

“Obviously, because of the tough competition, returning to a state team is always a big challenge. Once you disappear from the scene, you are marginalized and therefore regaining your place becomes difficult. Mahim sir supported me a lot,” he added.

He also mentioned the role of Abhimanyu Cricket Academy, run by RP Easwaran, the father of Bengali cricketer Abhimanyu Easwaran, for providing him with the support that helped his recovery.

“I was in Abhimanyu Cricket Academy during that time. Easwaran sir, coach Manoj Rawat sir, everyone supported me. The academy is well equipped and I used to practice there during that phase,” Deepak said.

Deepak prepared for the ongoing season by playing club cricket for Durham City in England. “From April to September I signed a contract with Durham City in England. I was in England out of season. There I played for a club called Durham City. It’s hot here, so I trained with them and played some matches for them. “It actually rained a lot, so most of our games were lost,” he said.

Cricketers from Uttarakhand are being noticed by IPL scouts, with Akash Madhwal being the most prominent name to emerge from the team that tasted success while playing for Mumbai Indians last season.

Does Deepak also dream of getting an IPL contract one day? “Look, I have been focusing only on playing good cricket and if God has it in store for me, it will happen,” he replies.

“I am in a competition with myself to improve day by day. I have a lot of confidence in myself. The faith of teammates and coaches helps. “When people have expectations of you, you become even more motivated to work on them,” he added.

Has the thought of giving Delhi another chance crossed your mind? “No, not at all. I am very happy with Uttarakhand and my dream is to win a trophy with them. We are all working hard for it,” Deepak said.