Some players quietly go about their grind in domestic cricket despite knowing very well that the sport hasn’t been fair to them in return. Vidarbha’s Dhruv Shorey belongs to the same vintage.
The numbers speak for themselves — 5,455 First-Class runs in 77 matches at an average of 48.70, coupled with 2,957 List-A runs in 74 games at 44.80. Yet, he is often overlooked while discussing the pantheon of top performers in the domestic circuit.
Shorey etched his name into the record books with his latest century for Vidarbha against Hyderabad in the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2025. He became just the second batter in the world to record five consecutive List-A hundreds, after Tamil Nadu’s N. Jagadeesan. Shorey struck three hundreds in a row in the knockout phase of the domestic one-day competition last year as Vidarbha finished runner-up. He has breached three figures in each of his side’s first two games this season, too.
“This format has been very kind to me since last year. I didn’t do well in the league stages the previous season. But this year, I have started strong and I did well in the Ranji Trophy as well. I am happy the runs are coming in,” he told Sports stars after his record-equalling feat.
The batter’s unbeaten knock against Hyderabad was a masterclass on pacing an innings in the 50-over format. Walking in at the 25-over mark after a 148-run opening partnership, Shorey was happy pushing the ball to the fielders in the deep to keep the runs ticking. The acceleration came after the 40th over of the innings, with Shorey gleefully putting away the short balls beyond the boundary rope enroute a 73-ball ton. He helped his team collect 124 runs in the final ten overs.
Most consecutive hundreds in List A cricket
5 – N. Jagadeesan (2022-23)
5 – Dhruv Shorey (2024-25 and 2025-26)
4 – Karun Nair (2024-25)
4 – Devdutt Padikkal (2020-21)
4 – Alviro Petersen (2015-16)
4 – Kumar Sangakkara (2014-15)
“Pacing the innings depends a lot on the situation. It’s a nine o’clock start. The two new balls will do something for 6-8 overs. You can’t hit from the get-go. If you are batting second and are chasing a big target, then it makes more sense to go from ball one,” he explained.
Shorey has been a batting lynchpin for Vidarbha in all three formats since joining the side as a professional in 2023. He was an integral part of the team that triumphed in the 2024-25 Ranji Trophy and the 2025 Irani Trophy.
“I have always seen myself as an all-format batter. I have been playing all three formats here and we have been doing well. We have been playing a lot of finals,” he said.
“The team environment here is really good. I am having a great time here. It’s all about cricket here, and that’s why we are getting the results,” he added.
Vidarbha’s success over the last couple of seasons came in large part thanks to the middle-order contributions of Karun Nair. The India international moved back to his home state of Karnataka ahead of this season, but Shorey insists that the team has enough batting potential to replace him.
“We are all part of a group. Over the last three years, we have gelled well. We know our strengths as a batting unit. Obviously, he made a huge impact last year. We have started strong this year and we have got other guys stepping in. It is hard to fill his shoes, but we are still doing well,” the 33-year-old said.
Despite scoring over 1,500 First-Class runs over the last three years, Shorey has not been considered for selection in the Duleep Trophy since he is a guest player. With age not his ally, he hasn’t been considered for India A either.
Former India cricketer Mandeep Singh, who captained Shorey at North Zone in Duleep Trophy in 2022, brought this point up in a video posted on his social media handles.
“The Australian team hands Test debuts to players over the age of 30. Can we not give players of this calibre a chance in the Duleep Trophy or with India A?” Mandeep questioned.
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