Arya regrets not meeting Dhoni, credits seniors for feat

Priyansh Arya of Punjab Kings, who became an overnight sensation after slamming a ton against Chennai Super Kings during the IPL match at the Mullanpur stadium on April 8, regretted not meeting Mahendra Singh Dhoni even as he was behind the stumps as the rookie stole the IPL show.

“He was standing behind…everyone knows his charm on the field. I felt very lucky to play against him as very few get this opportunity, but I was nervous too. There was pressure when he was behind the wickets and also there were legendary bowlers on the field like Ravichandra Ashwin. I wanted to talk to Dhoni sir, but he had left the ground before I could meet him,” said the opener, who was clearly disheartened after skipping the chance to interact with Dhoni, during a virtual media interaction organised by Punjab Kings today.

The nervousness was not only for the reason that Dhoni was present on the field, it was also the golden duck departure in the previous match at the same venue. Playing against Rajasthan Royals, Arya failed to read Jofra Archer’s scorcher and surrendered his off-stump in no time on the very first ball of the innings.

“Luckily, head coach Ricky Ponting and skipper Shreyas Iyer were there to help me. Ricky sir gave me confidence by saying that anyone can lose wicket on the very first ball. He told me to hit it out of the ground if you get the same ball,” said the 24-year-old. He added, “Ricky Ponting keeps telling me to improve my pull shot. Same is the case with Shreyas bhai. During a session prior to the Chennai game, the skipper told me to go with my first thought after seeing the ball. They never said anything negative after the first ball dismissal.”

He spoke about getting a brand new playing kit as a gift from the former Indian opener Gautam Gambhir. “I just can’t let go of those moments from my head. I used to sit behind the nets watching Gautam Gambhir playing, observing his timing and style of playing. After watching me practising in the nets, he gifted me a brand new full kit, I still remember,” said Arya, who achieved the feat of becoming the fastest uncapped to register a 39-ball century in the IPL.

He has been training with Delhi-based coach Sanjay Bhardwaj since the age of 10. “Sanjay sir has played a huge role in my life. Before the IPL, he told me specifically to work on my cut and pull.”

Arya made his debut for the senior Delhi team in 2021, but was out after two games. Till last year, he was not consistent. But he was able to gain that consistency in the Delhi Premier League, especially with the six sixes feat. “Being consistent is really important. With time, I have become mature enough to track the ball and hit it with full force. Consistency is something that goes in my mind all the time,” said Arya.

Chandigarh