New Delhi: “It’s all not about the strike rate, I have to increase my average,” the 21-year-old Vansh Bedi said after a poor outing against North Delhi Strikers, adding just two runs from five balls, though his team Purani Dilli 6 went on to win by 20 runs in the Match 17 of the recently concluded Delhi Premier League.
At that stage, Vansh scored 125 runs from seven innings at a strike rate of 160.25 and was in search of the big innings to justify his potential of a power-hitting middle-order batter.
A trainee of Ravindra cricket academy in Baljit Nagar, Vansh came into the players’ draft as one of the top performers in the Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) league, having not played in the Delhi U-19 and U-23 teams before.
He scored two consecutive centuries in Ganesh Goswami tournament and was the best batter in the Sahibzada T20 tournament, scoring more than 550 runs last year.
According to a report by The Delhi Junction, Vansh scored 216 runs off just 104 balls to help Yorks Cricket Club register a whopping 287-run win over Roop Nagar Club in a Super Elite 3 game in DDCA League. He finished with 11 centuries in the 2023-24 club season.
Coming back to his stint in the Delhi Premier League, Vansh wasn’t lacking in self confidence but wasn’t able to execute his power-hitting game after he was played as a floater between No.5 and No.7. Although he is a wicketkeeper-batter, the uncapped Delhi player was played as impact player in three matches and there was no defined role for him as Lalit Yadav, one of the team captains, said he was supposed to be fixed in match-related situations.
Purani Dilli 6 middle-order batter Vansh Bedi. (Photo: DPL T20 2024)
Lalit, who has played for Delhi Capitals in the IPL for past four seasons, called Vansh a ‘smart player’ who can adapt to situations, can score freely and build partnerships also. It was evident, when Vansh and Lalit were involved in an unbeaten 79-run partnership in the tournament opener, which also featured Rishabh Pant as Purani Dilli 6 captain.
Vansh blitzed 47 runs off 19 balls, powered by four boundaries and as many sixes, to propel Purani Dilli to 197 for 3 after 20 overs. Though the stylish cameo turned into a losing cause, the youngster announced himself into the scene of Delhi cricket circuit.
However, four single-digit scores and two decent outings didn’t add much to his confidence. All he wanted was a big knock from his willow. And it was the match against eventual champions East Delhi Riders when the Brendon McCullum fan played a Glenn Maxwell-esque innings.
The much-needed breakthrough
While chasing a mammoth total of 242, Purani Dilli was reduced to 34 for 3 inside the powerplay. In came Vansh and displayed the slog-sweep off left-arm spinner Harsh Tyagi on the very first ball, dispatching it over deep midwicket for his first six of the night.
He targeted the spinners with the sweeps and pulls over long-on. When the likes of Harsh, Ansh Choudhary, and Rounak Waghela were taken to the cleaners, East Delhi riders skipper Himmat Singh decided to roll the arms himself in an attempt to stop the wreckage.
Nevertheless, Himmat was welcomed with two alluring sixes, a slog and a scoop on the leg side as Vansh completed his maiden DPL half-century in just 19 balls. It was after smashing eight sixes, Vansh hit his first boundary over mid-wicket in the 12th over. He was restless against Himmat throughout their face-off, hammering five sixes and two boundaries.
Purani Dilli 6 middle-order batter Vansh Bedi. (Photo: DPL T20 2024)
The scintillating knock came to an end after Vansh attempted to play across the stump against Harsh Tyagi’s off-spin, and as a result, was pinned before the wickets. He missed a well-deserved century by four runs. His 41-ball 96 didn’t help Purani Dilli any closer in the humungous chase but helped them to avoid a dipping net run rate (NRR).
Vansh didn’t got chance to bat later in the tournament as his team’s semi-final game against South Delhi Superstarz was washed away, and consequently, they were eliminated because of inferior finish on the points table.
Vansh Bedi’s journey to professional cricket
Vansh Bedi’s desire to play sports is hereditary as the player likes to call. Every male member of his family has played sports, though not at the professional level. At the age of six, mother Veena took him to the Dhakka cricket academy in Delhi’s Mukherjee Nagar.
He later moved to Ravindra cricket academy to excel his skills under coach Shekhar Sharma, who has seen the likes of Virat Kohli and Pradeep Sangwan grow in their careers while represent his academy in certain local tournaments. It was Shekhar who convinced Vansh to keep wickets even though he wasn’t interested for the role at the initial stage.
“The main thing I had to work on him is to persuade him to keep the wickets. He would sometimes not take keeping seriously, so I told him that today you should have at least two skillset. Hence, I asked him to focus on keeping. If you watch his style then it is similar to Rishabh Pant,” Shekhar told News9 Sports.
“By seeing Pant, I told him to keep the wickets and keep his batting in an attacking mode. If you are a keeper then you will get a chance to play in Delhi’s team,” the coach added.
Vansh has grown up watching former New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum and admired his explosive batting during his time on the pitch. However, the approach in his batting resembles to swashbuckling Australian all-rounder Glenn Maxwell and even likes to play the slog sweeps as the Victoria-born is seen attempting against spinners often.
“That’s just the requirement of the situation (playing like Maxwell) but its always been Brendon McCullum who I follow,” Vansh told News9 Sports when asked about his favourite player.
“It’s all about the intuition and it’s about the quick decision which I make. I love hitting slog sweeps you know. That’s one of my favourite shots,” he added.
Vansh Bedi (Photo: DPL T20 2024)
Shekhar Sharma never altered in Vansh’s natural gameplay as he felt that would break the youngster’s rhythm and it would allow him to play fearless cricket.
“When he came to me, he would play sweep shots, which junior players don’t play. In the era of IPL, youngsters go and develop such shots but for Vansh it comes naturally. I never interfered whenever he would play sweep or paddle sweeps. That’s you can see him playing fearless today,” the Delhi-based coach said.
Shekhar agreed to News9 Sports’ observation on Vansh acquiring the technique of Glenn Maxwell.
“I agree with you that the kind of power-hitting game he plays is similar to what you are saying (Glenn Maxwell).”
Vansh has been given situations to bat in different positions in local tournaments as Shekhar made him bat as an opener, middle-order batter and a finisher as well. Shekhar believes wicketkeepers are rarely given the opportunities to open the innings but he wanted Vansh to have an experience of that kind to face the new ball.
“He doesn’t need to bat in powerplay but when he bats there, he is in a different mode,” the coach said.
Vansh wants to play for Delhi’s age-group cricket (U-23 at present) and then wait for his chance to break into the senior team. Though he isn’t focusing on the IPL but former India U-19 captain Yash Dhull named him as one of the probables from DPL to get picked in the cash-rich league at some point.
“If a player like that have that kind of trust on me, it’s really a privilege for me,” Vansh concluded.
Vansh Bedi was among the promising talents discovered in the first season of the Delhi Premier League T20. Playing for Purani Dilli 6, the 21-year-old amassed 221 runs in eight innings, striking at 185.71. Yet to play in Delhi’s age-group circuit, Vansh aims to achieve big heights. Former New Zealand skipper Brendon McCullum is his idol and his batting style is a mixture of Indian wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant and Australian all-rounder Glenn Maxwell. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
