Dhruv Shorey drops Rohit Sharma, picks Virat Kohli for pressure chase [Exclusive]

In an exclusive interaction with CricTracker, Dhruv Shorey opened up about his choices across several entertaining segments. The Vidarbha batter revealed his all-time favourites before taking part in a ‘One Word, One Cricketer’ segment, where he described some of the biggest names in the game with a single word.

Shorey also featured in a rapid-fire round, answering a series of intriguing questions and making some interesting choices involving the current crop of Indian cricketers. He then participated in the ‘Last Man Standing’ segment, where he picked his preferred players from the present generation.

The right-handed batter also took part in the ‘Pick One, Reserve One and Drop One’ game, making some tough calls involving legendary and current Indian cricketers. In the ‘Dressing Room Files’ segment, Shorey opened up about his Vidarbha teammates, revealing the most underrated player, the best cricketing brain, the funniest member and those who have impressed him the most.

He also participated in a conceptual ‘Draft Game’, where he had to build his dream dressing room by selecting from a pool of legendary cricketers while working within a fixed budget.

Excerpts from the interview:

Name your favourite:

Best batter of all time: Sachin Tendulkar
Best bowler of all-time: Jasprit Bumrah
Best captain of all-time: MS Dhoni
Best all-rounder of all-time: Ravindra Jadeja

'One Word, One Cricketer’

Fearless - Rishabh Pant
Stylish - KL Rahul
Underrated - Ajinkya Rahane
Speed -  Jofra Archer
Calm -  MS Dhoni
Genius - MS Dhoni
Magician - Yuvraj Singh
Fighter - Gautam Gambhir
King - Virat Kohli
Clutch - Virat Kohli
Golden Arm - Jasprit Bumrah
Leader -  Virat Kohli

Rapid-Fire

Rohit Sharma’s pull shot or Kohli’s cover drive? Kohli’s Cover Driver

Batting in the powerplay or finishing the innings? Finishing the Innings

Batting first or chasing under pressure? Chasing under Pressure

Captaincy responsibility or freedom to express yourself? Freedom to express 

Kohli’s aggression or Dhoni’s calmness — what do you vibe with more? Dhoni’s Calmness

Six over long-on or cheeky scoop over fine leg? Six over long on

T20 thrill or Test match patience? Test Match patience

Spin or pace — what do you prefer facing? Pace

Winning the IPL or lifting the T20 World Cup trophy? T20 World Cup Trophy

Last Man Standing

Best T20 batters (at present)
Shubman Gill or Jaiswal Jaiswal
Ishan Kishan
Venkatesh Iyer
Rishabh Pant
Vaibhav Soorvanshi
Sanju Samson
Rinku Singh
Shreyas Iyer
Ruturaj Gaikwad
Abhishek Sharma
Rajat Patidar

Pick One, Reserve One & Drop One

1. A must-win T20 World Cup semi-final — pick your opening pair:
 Rohit Sharma 🆚 Virat Kohli 🆚 Abhishek Sharma
Pick: Virat Kohli, Reserve: Rohit Sharma, Dropped: Abhishek Sharma
2. You need 15 runs from the final 6 balls — pick your finisher:
 MS Dhoni 🆚 Hardik Pandya 🆚 Rinku Singh
Pick: MS Dhoni, Reserve: Hardik Pandya, Dropped: Rinku Singh
3. You need one wicket with the new ball — pick your bowler:
 Jasprit Bumrah 🆚 Arshdeep Singh 🆚 Mohammed Siraj
Pick: Jasprit Bumrah, Reserve: Arshdeep Singh, Dropped: Mohammed Siraj
4. Building an Indian Test XI for the next 10 years — pick one batter:
 Shubman Gill 🆚 Yashasvi Jaiswal 🆚 Rishabh Pant
Pick: Shubman Gill, Reserve: Rishabh Pant, Dropped: Yashasvi Jaiswal
5. One player to lead India in a pressure chase — pick your captain:
 Virat Kohli 🆚 Rohit Sharma 🆚 MS Dhoni
Pick: Virat Kohli, Reserve: MS Dhoni, Dropped: Rohit Sharma
6. One overseas batter for your T20 franchise — who are you taking?
 AB de Villiers 🆚 Jos Buttler 🆚 Travis Head
Pick: AB de Villiers, Reserve: Jos Buttler, Dropped: Travis Head
7. One Indian player to bowl the 20th over in a World Cup final:
 Jasprit Bumrah 🆚 Hardik Pandya 🆚 Arshdeep Singh
Pick: Jasprit Bumrah, Reserve: Arshdeep Singh, Dropped: Hardik Pandya
10. You need 50 runs in the final 5 overs — pick your batter at present:
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi 🆚 Abhishek Sharma 🆚 Ishan Kishan
Pick: Abhishek Sharna, Reserve: Ishan Kishan, Dropped: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi

THE DRESSING ROOM FILES

Most underrated teammate → 

Oh, actually, I'll talk about my current dressing room in the Vidarbha dressing room. There's an all-rounder. His name is Nachiket Bhute and he's been doing really well. And he's been contributing to Vidarbha's, you know, wins in a very silent manner. So, I guess it's Nachiket Bhute

Best cricketing brain →

Best cricketing brain? I'll talk about the captain of Vidarbha in the Ranji Trophy. It's Akshay Wadkar also. He's got a very good brain

Funniest in the dressing room →

Yash Rathod is the lefty weapon. Yash Rathod.

Most competitive →

Most competitive? It can again be Akshay Wadkar in the dressing room.Even, you know, a batter in Vidarbha, Aman Mukhade. He's very  competitive.

Best advice giver →

 Oh, I've been giving advices in our dressing room, in the Vidarbha team dressing room. 

Player who surprised you the most →

Actually, in last couple of years for Vidarbha, you know, it's been Aman Mukhade actually. And if you talk about the IPL circuit or entire circuit, it's been Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, because at the age he is and what he's been doing, it's really amazing to watch.

Someone you learned a lot from →

Actually, I've learned a lot from Gautam Gambhir because I've played with him so much. You know, four-five years I've played with him. I've seen him captain. I've captained under him. He's the coach now. So, maybe, you know, it is Gautam Gambhir. And in the domestic circuit, if you want and if someone I've talked a little, it's been Wasim Jaffer. 

Player you'd want beside you in a pressure chase →

I want beside me. Obviously, Virat Kohli in a pressure chair. He's the king.

Best mentor →

Best mentor, if you ask me, it can, you know, it has to be Gautam Gambhir because he's been our captain for so long. I've played a lot of cricket under him again, I'm saying. So, yeah, Gautam Gambhir. 

One player you think deserves more recognition

Someone who deserves more recognition in our team right now. I'll take a name, it's Yash Rathod because he's a very good player and he's been doing well. So, yes, he deserves a little more recognition right now.

“DRESSING ROOM DRAFT”

“You’re building your dream dressing room. You get ₹10 crore and have to buy 5 players.”
₹5 Cr: MS Dhoni / Virat Kohli / Rohit Sharma
₹3 Cr: Bumrah / Jadeja / Shami
₹2 Cr: Rinku / SKY / Gill
₹1 Cr: Ashwin / Kuldeep / Axar
But he cannot exceed ₹10 Cr.
Then ask:
“Who is your first pick and why?”