Hanging by a thread, Yash Dubey reverts to type

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October 8, 2016. Ajinkya Rahane is approaching three figures at the Holkar Stadium in Indore and New Zealand have elected the bouncer as a weapon of choice, hoping the nervous nineties engulf Virat Kohli’s partner in a stand that will eventually be worth 365 runs off 673 balls. Rahane was never a shrinking violet against the bumper – remember his hook to Mitchell Johnson in Melbourne, 2014 – yet Matt Henry posed a serious threat. He copped blows on the arm guard and helmet. Ramps met air and pulls nearly brought his downfall, top-edged into no man’s land.

“I’m glad to have handled that spell yesterday when they were bowling short balls,” Rahane said after finishing on 188. “I will rate this hundred right at the top.”

Few venues in India offer the kind of pace and bounce that repeatedly unsettled the thirteenth highest run-getter for India in Test cricket. Hence, it was news to jolt you out of the bed when deliveries scooted low from good length on the opening day of the Ranji Trophy 2026-27 fixture between Madhya Pradesh and Bihar, whose captain Sakibul Gani had obviously not thought twice before choosing to bat first. Alas, it turned out to be a trainwreck of a decision as the uncharacteristically dry surface gripped from the word go.

Saransh Jain and Kumar Kartikeya bowled through the majority of the morning session despite Avesh Khan’s double strike upfront. Both spun a web, even if the bouquet of rewards went to Saransh alone. His seven-wicket haul torpedoed Bihar for 99, with opener Mangal Mahrour fighting a lone battle.

An innings that crashed and burned had, however, left important cues for Yash Dubey and Saksham Purohit to pick up. Once Bihar lost half their side, a flurry of attacking shots appeared. Raghuvendra Pratap Singh blazed off the blocks with a shimmying six over mid-wicket, Mangal played an inside out cover drive sans any attempt to keep it down and Aditya Raj swept against the turn to fetch four. In the given conditions, survival was synonymous with proactivity.

Madhya Pradesh’s openers now had a clear vision of how they’re supposed to spend their time at the crease. Prey or be preyed, as they say. Their familiarity with the stadium and experiential learnings from watching Bihar’s flutters did make them a bit less vulnerable to the danger, but there was an asterisk looming over this litmus test.

Saksham was making his debut and Yash was struggling for runs of late. An integral member of Madhya Pradesh’s victorious campaign in Ranji Trophy 2021-22 where he accompanied captain Shubham Sharma and Rajat Patidar in the 600+ club, including a marathon effort of 289 off 591 versus Kerala, the curly-haired bookworm from Bhopal wasn’t producing runs with the consistency that had put him on the national selectors’ radar. After all, facing a Rest of India attack featuring Mukesh Kumar, Navdeep Saini and Saurabh Kumar in the Irani Cup 2022-23, Yash compiled 109 and proceeded to share a hundred partnership with Ricky Bhui for India D in Duleep Trophy 2024. 

He was also maming the white ball to avoid being typecasted, with his 195-run blitzkrieg against Nagaland in Vijay Hazare Trophy 2022 paving the way for an invitation to Deodhar Trophy where he scored a stunning 77 against South Zone.

Interestingly, in 28 first-class innings since his debut in 2018, Yash had never opened until midway into that glorious Ranji Trophy season. Right before he was asked to open by coach Chandrakant Pandit in a key fixture against Kerala, Yash had, in fact, slammed an unbeaten 85 opposite Meghalaya at number seven. It proved to be a masterstroke as Yash settled into the demanding role effortlessly thanks to a sound technique and patient approach, which his partner Himanshu Mantri felt was well suited to the rigours of opening in whites. It was a development that, interestingly, stood in stark contrast to the attitude selectors had towards a bespectacled Yash in his formative years playing for Narmadapuram division.

“They used to get nervous seeing Yash wearing specs at such a young age,” Shailesh Shukla, his childhood coach, recounted. His exploits in the Indian domestic circuit led to offers from the England minor counties, with Yash turning up for Wellington Cricket Club in Shropshire and Furness Cricket Club in Barrow to bury any apprehensions around his capability of handling seam and swing.

Add to the mix his 94 against Vidarbha in Ranji Trophy 2024-25 semi-final and Yash had accumulated plenty of credit in the bank, but the perform-or-perish nature of the sport doesn’t really allow athletes to rest on their laurels. Madhya Pradesh has, anyway, turned into a talent factory for Indian cricket, with skipper Rajat leading the charge. Consolidation was the need of the hour for Yash, who certainly possessed the temperament required to excel at the big stage. However, life didn’t exactly pan out that way as runs dried up.

Madhya Pradesh experimented with Sagar Solanki and Subhranshu Senapati as Yash’s replacements after his poor start to Ranji Trophy Elite 2024-25. Even Harsh Gawli got an opportunity and the keeper-bat cashed in with a sterling 258 against Uttar Pradesh. Yash’s path to a comeback, at that juncture, seemed quite thorny. Yet a century at the beginning of Ranji Trophy 2025-26 in front of powerhouse Saurashtra earned him an extended run. Nonetheless, Yash failed to deliver the goods, crossing the fifty landmark henceforth only once, in the second quarter-final.

Compounding the woes were his initial misfires in Ranji Trophy 2026-27. The first three innings had produced a grand total of 30 runs, and one couldn’t help but wonder that the selectors might run out of patience soon notwithstanding his credentials. Such a topsy-turvy backdrop meant there was a lot riding on Yash’s knock against Bihar in his own backyard, and much to the delight of head coach Pandit, the experienced right-hander locked in.

Bihar plucked a leaf out of Madhya Pradesh’s book and frontloaded spin, but the difference in quality as compared to their counterparts was too obvious to miss. Off-spinner Suraj Kashyap struggled to find his line and length, either bowling on the pads or dropping it too short, whereas Aditya Raj mysteriously started off with darts on an abrasive track spitting puffs of dust.

Yash Dubey is an oasis of calm in a batting unit that has flexed dashers Venkatesh Iyer, Akshat Raghuwanshi and Rajat Patidar. Image Credits: Sportstar

Yash cut the skidder to the fence, the feel of the ball meeting the middle of the bat early in the innings doing his confidence a world of good. He looked switched on as play resumed after Lunch, bunting the ball to mid-on and sneaking a well-judged run. The clarity of communication between Yash and Saksham would prove to be a defining attribute of their 146-run alliance as Madhya Pradesh stole runs from right under Bihar’s nose. The pair converted a double into a triple by hustling hard after Saksham challenged sweeper cover to his left and took things to the next level by sensing the laziness of long-off to collect a brace, with a valid crashout emerging from the skipper at first slip.

Sakibul was angry again, shortly thereafter, when leg-spinner Himanshu Singh bowled a half-tracker that Yash pounced on. Scoring at a run-a-ball Yash was nailing the ploy to be proactive, and there didn’t seem to be too many beginner’s nerves at the other end either, with Saksham essaying an elegant straight drive in the odd over of pace.
On surfaces like these an unplayable delivery is always around the corner so Madhya Pradesh focused on deriving the maximum value out of the freebies, whenever the opportunity presented itself. Given room to free his arms, Yash placed a backfoot punch perfectly between short cover and deep point. Upon accomplishing his half-century with a flat sweep along the ground he began applying more pressure on Bihar, dismissing a flighted tempter from his presence. His power game has its limitations but Yash told White Glove during the Madhya Pradesh T20 League that he is intent on becoming the best version of himself across formats.

‘’If you spot a ball in your range, you have to attack. You can’t let apprehension or fear of failure clutter your decision-making. That conviction of committing to your shots comes from quality preparation as well as positive self-talk,” Yash said after scoring 54 off 31 versus Bhopal Leopards to bounce back from three ordinary trips to the crease. “I am trying to add a reverse sweep to my options to negate the tramline yorker,’’ he added.

It is ironical that the unorthodox stroke denied him a much-needed century in the afternoon session, yet an optimistic attitude had helped him fetch the 84 runs in the first place on a deck where Saransh returned a career-best match haul of 13 wickets, jackhammering Bihar within two days. Courtesy of the bonus point, Madhya Pradesh have leapfrogged Vidarbha in the Group A table, making full use of home advantage.

Yash’s return to form buys him breathing space in an outfit that is bursting at its seams with talent. Saksham was adjudged the player of the match for his equanimous 132 on debut. Shivang Kumar, who represents Sunrisers Hyderabad and recently travelled to Sri Lanka as a net bowler for India, warmed the bench in the preceding matches Madhya Pradesh drew. Youngsters like Roshan Kewat and Atharva Mahajan have been fastracked into the Ranji Trophy squad. Hence, even if Yash had been amongst the runs in the prestigious Dr. K. Thimmappiah Memorial Tournament, actually performing in Ranji Trophy was imperative.

Now that the reminder of his ability stands filed, the 27-year-old whose celebrations often involve a tribute to the late rapper Sidhu Moose Wala, has the ideal launchpad to rediscover his beastly self and enter the elite cadre he once belonged to. 

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