NEW DELHI: Priyansh Arya can hit sixes at will. With his brutal strokeplay, the Delhi batter can be as devastating as the best in the game and walk into any white-ball set-up. But he is also competing for a place in a generation that includes Abhishek Sharma, one of the world’s best T20I batters, and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, a bona fide superstar in the making.So, where does that leave Arya?The Delhi batter, who has been a regular for India A in white-ball cricket recently, has missed out on selection for the Tilak Varma-led squad for the upcoming Emerging Teams Asia Cup. India’s openers will be Abhishek and Sooryavanshi, and Arya can consider himself unlucky.Priyansh Arya has a strike rate of 135.11 in List A cricket and 176.78 in T20s. In just four first-class matches, he has already shown promise, scoring a stunning 199. Priyansh, who plays for Punjab Kings, had the third-best strike rate in the 2026 Indian Premier League (IPL). He scored at a strike rate of 211.62. He was behind only Sooryavanshi and Finn Allen, while Abhishek Sharma was fourth.For a player who has consistently delivered with the bat, the omission raises a question: how does he break through when the competition is just as explosive and increasingly difficult to ignore?“I don’t feel unlucky. Whatever I get, it is a lot. I am grateful, and it happens for everyone. You just have to keep pushing the door until it breaks,” Arya told reporters on being overlooked for the Emerging Teams Asia Cup, to be held in Muscat from October 18-27.The Delhi batter, who scored a fine half-century in the innings, could prove to be a key player against Services on Day 4 of their ongoing Ranji Trophy match at the Air Force Complex Ground in Palam.“The wicket is very good. In the first session, if there was a little moisture, the ball would seam a bit, and both teams took advantage of that. In the second session, the wicket gets a little hard, so the ball doesn’t come on as well,” he said.“Tomorrow’s first hour is very crucial. If we take five wickets, I think we can win outright. Our batting strength is very good. We can chase up to 300 runs. If we have enough time, it will be good for our team,” he added.In Delhi’s first match against Gujarat at the same venue, Arya fell one short of his double hundred. It was also his maiden first-class century.“I didn’t even know that I had scored 199! I was a little sad when I walked off the pitch, but it was part of the game. It’s quite rare to score 199,” recollected Arya.The southpaw said he was also helped by the words of Delhi coach Vijay Dahiya, a former India stumper. He said: “Coach motivates me a lot.”“When we talk, it’s not like we’re playing a match just for three points. We always talk about going for an outright win. That is a good thing for both the team and individual growth.”It will be a quick turnaround for the southpaw as he will be a force to reckon with in Delhi’s pursuit of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, starting from November 14. Delhi’s first match is against Jammu and Kashmir at the Holkar Stadium in Indore.“There is less time for preparation, but we will see. Our team is very good in white-ball cricket, and if we win the trophy, that is the main focus. Many players are doing well in white-ball cricket, especially in the opening slot, where there is a lot of competition,” said Arya.Arya also believes that transitioning between formats is largely about mindset. “Everything is based on our mindset. Whatever your mindset is, it helps us a lot, whether it is a red ball or a white ball,” he said.The destructive batter also stressed the importance of red-ball cricket in a player’s development. “If you see a good red-ball player, he can easily succeed in white-ball cricket. Red ball is very important.”Having made his first-class debut last year, Arya believes the format has contributed to his growth as a cricketer. He, however, does not subscribe to the perception of players being labelled as red-ball or white-ball specialists. “I don’t feel anything about the tag of being a ‘white-ball’ or ‘red-ball’ cricketer. It’s just what people make up outside. It doesn’t affect me at all,” he said.
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