Too strong for tennis, Vansh Mehra's wrists take him to cricket

New Delhi: Batsman Vansh Mehra, who represents Bright Cricket Club in DDCA League, initially aspired to be a tennis player.

"I would go to a tennis academy in the neighbourhood. Unfortunately, I would hit the ball with such force that it would often go out of the court. The coach suggested one day that since my wrist is very strong, I should take up cricket. I was four or five then," says Mehra, who is a resident of Hudson Lane in North Delhi.

Mehra was hyperactive as a child, according to his mother. The fact that he was plump and chubby and had curly hair, he was called 'Little Sachin Tendulkar' by the neighbours.

At 6, he began going to Sanjay Bhardwaj's Lal Bahadur Shastri Academy in Ashok Vihar.

He was even called Graham Gooch by a coach there because of his physique.

But over the years he has worked on his fitness turning himself lean and fit. Seventeen years of hard work on the cricket field and fitness is finally paying off.

Vansh Mehra receives the Best Batsman Award for 2024-25 season earlier this year

Mehra got the Best Batsman Award in Premier 3 division for the 2024-25 season and ranked ninth across Delhi among the top run-getters in the DDCA T20 League that concluded in May this year. What made his effort commendable was that he had a strike rate of 222.08, the best among the top 10 batsmen and the second best in top 20. He aggregated 513 runs in 11 matches in DDCA T20 League 2026 and was in great form.

The 23-year-old wicketkeeper-batsman, who opens for his club and trains under Sanjay Bhardwaj, the coach of Gautam Gambhir and Nitish Rana among others, has also played some great knocks this season that makes him a contender for a Delhi Premier League (DPL) contract.

A 59-ball 172 in a DDCA T20 League against Darling Cricket Club, which comprised players from Sahgal Cricket Club, a strong team in local Hot Weather Tournaments, was ruthless. He also performed in the Empress Cricket Tournament, with a 30-ball 88 for East Delhi Riders the notable knock.

The Hot Weather season proved quite fruitful with centuries in Goswami Ganesh Dutt 40-over tournament (80-ball 100) and Laxman Das Chhabra (43-ball 119). The Goswami Ganesh Dutt T20 Tournament that concluded this month was where he came into his own, with Man of the Match Awards in all the three wins notched by East Delhi Riders. He hit a 30-ball 93 against Kaushal Cricket Academy, 40-ball 123 against Gemini CC, a 27-ball 80 in quarterfinals against Noida Wonders.

Tags : Vansh Mehra, Delhi, cricket, tennis, DDCA, DPL, Delhi Premier League