After playing an innings he described as being “like a dream” to win the Emirates D10 for Sharjah on Monday night, Vriitya Aravind’s celebrations were joyful – but brief.
The 18-year-old batsman's teammates – one of whom had screamed himself hoarse celebrating his outrageous strokeplay – raced on to the field when the eight-wicket win was sealed.
They raised their young colleague aloft, danced a collective jig, then Aravind took a few quick photos with the trophy before having to leave as fast as he could.
While the rest of the Sharjah side were having a post-match meal to celebrate a title well won, Aravind was racing home, having a quick shower, packing his kit up again, then heading to Dubai International airport.
From there, he took a red-eye flight to the UK, where he is now quarantining, in the hope of making it out in time to play the first club cricket match of the Birmingham league season on April 17.
The UAE national team wicketkeeper is in his first year as a student at Loughborough University. He is doubling up his studies with playing for the university cricket team, as well as club cricket.
With the UAE not scheduled to play until August, he opted to return to the UK, having studied remotely from Dubai in recent months.
He travelled in good spirits, after an innings of 66 not out from 27 balls in the final which he ranks among his finest moments in the game so far.
“It felt like a dream,” Aravind said. “When the game finished, they picked me up, and all the experienced players were really happy for me.
“Umair [Ali Khan, the joint-leading wicket taker in the tournament] lost his voice and couldn’t talk properly after the game because he had been cheering so much.
“It felt different this time – a youngster performing in the big games. It has always been experienced players who do well in the semi-finals and finals, like how Rohan [Mustafa, who played the match-winning innings in the semi-final against Dubai earlier in the afternoon] did.
“It really felt good, like a personal achievement for me. I have never chased down a target all alone before.
“Even though I’ve had good starts, I have never been able to finish a game. It was good that I did it for the first time in a final, the most important game.”
Aravind’s haul in the final, which took him to third place in the run charts for the tournament, came against an attack that included three national team bowlers, Ahmed Raza, Zahoor Khan and Mohammed Ayaz.
“It was one of the most memorable innings I’ve played because it was against some of the best bowlers in the UAE,” Aravind said.
“I still can’t really believe it. It was just my day, because some of the shots I played, I’ve never played before.
“I want to play all formats. I want to play 50 overs, T20, and T10, and I will be getting two-day cricket in the UK.
“I don’t want to be regarded as just a T10 player, or solely as someone who is aggressive. I want to be known as an all-round player.”
Remaining Fixtures
Wednesday: West Indies v Scotland
Thursday: UAE v Zimbabwe
Friday: Afghanistan v Ireland
Sunday: Final
Take Me Apart
Kelela
(Warp)
MATCH INFO
Manchester United 6 (McTominay 2', 3'; Fernandes 20', 70' pen; Lindelof 37'; James 65')
Leeds United 2 (Cooper 41'; Dallas 73')
Man of the match: Scott McTominay (Manchester United)
In numbers: China in Dubai
The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000
Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000
Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
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- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
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- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
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The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
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Ashes 2019 schedule
August 1-5: First Test, Edgbaston
August 14-18: Second Test, Lord's
August 22-26: Third Test, Headingley
September 4-8: Fourth Test, Old Trafford
September 12-16: Fifth Test, Oval
Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
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- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
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Herc's Adventures
Developer: Big Ape Productions
Publisher: LucasArts
Console: PlayStation 1 & 5, Sega Saturn
Rating: 4/5
Brief scores:
Juventus 3
Dybala 6', Bonucci 17', Ronaldo 63'
Frosinone 0
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
more from Janine di Giovanni
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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MATCH INFO
UAE Division 1
Abu Dhabi Harlequins 12-24 Abu Dhabi Saracens