Virender Sehwag better watch out, there’s a new kid on the block.
At just 10-years-old, Zohaib Zafar has set his sights on emulating his India batting hero after scoring a sensational 209 not out off just 87 balls for YTCA Warriors in the 20-over Nissan Cup. Zohaib smashed 14 sixes and 20 boundaries as his team completed a 72-run win over DPS Dubai in the under-11 match.
The No3’s previous best score was just 80 and Zohaib, who lives in Sharjah, admitted his arm had started to get tired after he raised his bat to acknowledge the crowd four times.
He said: “It was the first time I had scored a 100, so it was good. It was against a big team, too. I was playing for my team, there was no pressure, I just kept things simple. I had to raise my bat four times so my hand was aching! All the parents and organisers were there – they gave me a big cheer.”
Since Sehwag beat Sachin Tendulkar’s one-day record with a score of 219 at the end of 2011, Zohaib says the former has been his hero. And ‘Viru’ would have been mightily impressed with the young wicket-keeper batsman’s approach as he took advantage of any bad balls to propel his team to success.
The win means his team booked a place in Friday’s semi-final and Zohaib gave his opponents an ominous warning. “It’s a crucial match,” he said. “I’m looking for 300 this time!”
Zohaib’s match-winning performance was helped by first a 64-run partnership with Aryan Lakara (31) and then an unbeaten 218-run stand with Shaun (19n.o).
In reply, DPS Dubai’s openers Vivek and Tejas put on a 103-run partnership in 11.3 overs but both were run out in quick succession. Tejas was the first to go after scoring 38 off 34 balls while Vivek top-scored with 82 off 63 balls including 12 boundaries and two sixes. Despite Dhruv’s (24no) and B Harsh’s last-ditch efforts, DPS ended on 211 for the loss of four wickets.
In the earlier match, YTCA Falcons defeated DPS Dubai by just four runs. Falcons scored 170-5, with Varun Nayanar top-scoring with 76 off 50. N Rahul was next highest with 17.
In reply, opening batsman Vivek kept DPS in the hunt with a splendid knock of 71 runs off 47. Vivek and Anubhav (26) put together 99 runs after DPS were in dire straits at 23-23. But with 47 runs needed off 34 balls, DPS faltered as Anubhav failed to make his ground attempting a run. Two overs later, Vivek perished as he too was run-out as DPS fell agonisingly short.
