It wouldn't be a great situation to be stuck in floods. But for Jammu & Kashmir's 19-year-old opener Shubham Khajuria it was a mental exercise that made him stronger.
Facing a strong opposition in 40-time Ranji Trophy champions Mumbai for the first time in his career and that too at the iconic venue – Wankhede Stadium and a challenge to get his team a first innings lead, Khajuria showed mental toughness and character on Monday. The youngster struck a solid 107, his maiden First Class century, to give his team an 18-run lead over the hosts.
His four-hour plus time in the middle saw him consume 219 balls and strike 12 boundaries and three sixes. He was also involved in two 99-run partnerships with Bandeep Singh (36) and Ian Dev Singh (70).
Two months back, Khajuria, a resident of Jammu, had gone to Srinagar to play a tournament when the floods struck the Kashmir region. Like many, he too, had to go through tough times.
"It was like fitness regimen for me. Kind of a preparation. Like many others, I was stuck in the floods without food for six days and lack of sleep. Then four-hour wait in the long queue to catch the helicopter at the helipad. All this made me mentally tougher," said Khajuria after the end of the second day's play.
The India U-19 player is happy for scoring a ton against Mumbai. "It is a very big knock for me. Since its my maiden ton and came against a stronger team and at a great venue. It will motivate me to do better," said Khajuria.
So how would he describe his knock that came against national-level bowler Dhaval Kularni, an IPL star Iqbal Abdulla and a reliable left-arm spinner Vishal Dhabolkar?
"My approach was simple. I would wait for the loose ball to go for my shot. Apart from that I had been getting out while playing pull, hence, I chose not to play it. Otherwise wicket was good for batting and I just played with patience," he said.
The right-hander has been a heavy scorer in junior cricket. He has played six games including this with one century now and no half centuries.
"I would play Ranji Trophy in between my U-19 and CK Nayudu (U-23) games. I hardly got to play at a stretch. But this year I was determined that if I get a chance to play at stretch, I would be mentally prepared. I scored 10 centuries in Cooch Behar in two years and recently I scored a 70 ball ton in the same tournament. So I have been among runs," said Khajuria, who is studying Bachelor of Arts in Jammu.
He is also enjoying the atmosphere in the team. "The bonding is big time. Around eight to 10 players have been playing cricket together from our junior days. Even the seniors have gelled well with the juniors. This is the reason for our bonding," Khajuria added.
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