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NEW DELHI: Delhi’s Ayush Doseja is keen to follow the discipline and fitness routine of India superstar Virat Kohli after the 23-year-old ended the Ranji Trophy group stage as the tournament’s highest run-getter.

Doseja, who made his Ranji Trophy debut against Hyderabad earlier this season, piled up 949 runs from seven matches at an impressive average of 105.44, including four centuries and five fifties.

He stood out in an otherwise forgettable campaign for Delhi, who finished seventh in the eight-team Group D points table without registering a single win, settling for six draws and one loss.

Inspired by Virat Kohli’s mindset

“I have been idolising him since childhood. When he was out in the second match (of the Vijay Hazare Trophy), I got some time to talk to him,” Doseja told reporters after his unbeaten 159 helped Delhi force a draw against Mumbai here.

“He told me that if I am going to the ground, I have to give 200 percent because you representing Delhi and it is a big deal. If I want to play for India, I have to keep the same mindset.

“(He said) ‘if you are going to the ground, you have to dominate and not play in survival mode’. This was the message and I follow his fitness regime a lot and had spoken about it as well. I also try to keep a good diet and keep myself match-fit as much as possible,” Doseja added.

First season, first captaincy moment

In his very first Ranji season, Doseja was handed the responsibility of leading Delhi against Mumbai — a fixture steeped in history — after Ayush Badoni was called up to the India A side for the T20 World Cup warm-up games.

“It's a big deal for me. I was getting an opportunity for the first time as a captain to lead Delhi and (against) Mumbai it’s always big,” he said.

“Coming into there second innings, I though that even though I fell early in the first — it was a good ball and I accepted my failure. I thought it was going to be the last innings of the season and I did not want to miss on the opportunity.”

Focus on effort, not numbers

After finishing the group stage as the leading run-scorer in the Elite category, Doseja said personal milestones were never part of his planning at the start of the season.

“The achievement is good. But I had never thought that I would make so many runs. I just believed in my hard work. My family and coaches support me a lot. I didn’t want to leave the opportunity whenever I got a call-up for Delhi. I am very happy that I finished first in the league stage,” he said.

Despite narrowly missing out on the 1,000-run mark, Doseja insisted the milestone never crossed his mind during the second innings against Mumbai at the MCA-BKC Ground.

“No, it was not in my mind. I wanted to save the match for the team,” Doseja said, adding that he rates this century as his best since it came against Mumbai.

“I knew that (the tally) was 790 before the match. But we had spoken with the Mumbai team that we would shake hands at tea. If they wanted wickets, they would have attacked with fast bowlers but they also kept it normal post lunch so we shook hands,” he said.

Doseja also revealed that he took the opportunity to interact with India and Mumbai batter Sarfaraz Khan to understand how to improve his red-ball game.

“I went to him myself. Sarfaraz is such a big player in domestic cricket and I asked him how I can improve in red soil. I try to become a three-format player. I prepare equally in white-ball,” he said.

“He told me that in red soil, if you bat with your head down, it will be better (and that way) you would hit fewer casual shots because it bounces. He said I could vary my game in red soil and black soil but that I have to see in the middle,” Doseja added.

(With PTI Inputs)