My target is to play for the Indian senior team in the next 18 months – Yash Dhull

India’s Under-19 World Cup winning captain Yash Dhull has revealed that his target is to play for the Indian senior team in the next 18 months.

Dhull led from the front in the recently concluded Under-19 World Cup in the West Indies and took the Indian colts to their fifth title, to help his team extend their record.

Dhull had an amazing run in the Under-19 World Cup as he scored 229 runs in four matches at an average of 76.33 and a strike rate of 85.45. The right-hander’s most impressive knock of the tournament came in the big semifinal clash against Australia when he scored 110 runs and stitched a crucial alliance with his deputy Shaik Rasheed to help his team put 294 runs on the board.

Dhull has definitely shown the skills to go a long way in his career and it is only the beginning of his promising career. After his impressive performance in the Under-19 World Cup, Dhull has been named in Delhi’s Ranji Trophy squad, where he will play under the captaincy of Pradeep Sangwan.

“I need to focus on what lies in the immediate future. That is my target but if I am not able to do that in the 18-month time frame, I will keep working hard till I attain my goal.”

Dhull added that he is not thinking about his comparisons with Virat Kohli and Unmukt Chand.

“The names you have taken (Kohli and Chand), I am not thinking on those lines. I want to remain humble and not think about the future too much. I will have to change my mindset for the red-ball game, preparation will be different. I don’t think it will be a lot different and tougher than the white ball.”

It is well known that there is a huge gulf between Under-19 and International cricket and Dhull understands he will need to improve his game to make a smooth transition.

“It is all about the mindset from here on. Physically, how fit you are. It is not one specific area, I will have to work on all my shots to become a better player.”

Dhull is also part of the IPL auction and he has set his base price at INR 20 lakhs. The IPL auction will take place on February 12 and 13 in Bengaluru.