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Pappu’s son hits ton to take Delhi to win
His father, Pappu Yadav, is lodged at the Tihar Jail in connection with high-profile criminal cases but Sarthak Ranjan is a free bird on the wicket.
His father, Pappu Yadav, is lodged at the Tihar Jail in connection with high-profile criminal cases but Sarthak Ranjan is a free bird on the wicket.
Ranjan, a tall, thickset kid, murdered the Himachal Pradesh bowlers to help Delhi win the u-14 North Zone tournament on Monday. He made 126 off 162 balls, the innings studded with 11 fours and a six. The effort was good enough to lead the team beyond Himachal's 274. Delhi finished at 343/6.
"He is a good batsman, a very talented one," said team manager KK Nigam. "He is excellent straight down and plays well through the covers."
Just 14, although his built suggests otherwise, the right-handed Ranjan took to cricket six years back and practiced at the city's elite Sonnet Club before switching to the Maulana Azad Cricket Club in east Delhi. He studies at the GD Goenka School.
"I like to play cricket. This is what I want to do. I love to bat," said Ranjan.
Nigam marks him out as the one with a cool head. "You could see from today's innings. He is jovial and good natured and doesn't say a word even when teammates are saying words to him."
But does being Pappu Yadav's son weigh him down? "No," says Nigam. "He takes all of this in his stride."
Brief scores: Himachal Pradesh 274 vs Delhi 343/6 (S Ranjan 126, J Sidhu 82, R Chaudhary 49, C Malhotra 3/101).
