Great things were predicted of Unmukt Chand after he guided India to the under-19 World Cup triumph. His temperament and technique drew praise as his ability to score big. But between 2012 and now, Chand somehow lost his way. He managed just 268 runs in six matches last season, and the next big star in Indian cricket was suddenly looking very distant.

He carried his lean patch to the new season and after a series of poor scores, Chand turned a corner. He followed his 146 against Rajasthan with a 105 against Gujarat and Chand was suddenly his old self, confident and in control of his destiny.

On Tuesday, against Odisha, the Delhi opener scored his third century of the Ranji Trophy season. On a comparatively slow Ferozshah Kotla track, Chand toiled hard and his 117 laid a perfect platform for Delhi as they finished 248/5 on Day I of this Ranji Trophy Group B clash. At stumps, Mithun Manhas was unbeaten on 55 with Punit Bisht accompanying him on nought.

The change

So what is it that changed Chand’s fortune this season. One, he has cut down on his strokes, which he would play soon after coming in, and second, he has learnt to be patient and bide his time. That’s the new Chand on display this season and that’s how he started on Tuesday.

Unlike his usual style of playing strokes, Chand began a lot slower even as his partner and Delhi skipper Gautam Gambhir got off to a brisk start with two boundaries, first of which was a chance that Odisha dropped in the second over of the day.

But Chand had his eyes set and was not to be swayed. He waited for nine overs to get his first boundary and before and after he looked solid in his defence and was much more sorted while on the crease.

Gambhir departed in the 10th over and in came Virender Sehwag, Delhi’s in-form man. Chand and Sehwag kept rotating the strike with the former India opener scoring the bulk of the runs. At lunch, Delhi were 57/1 with Sehwag unbeaten on 22 while Chand had crawled to 17.

After lunch, Chand decided to break free from his self-imposed shackles. He pulled Basant Mohanty for his second boundary of the day. The pull shot has proved to be his bane earlier in the season but not today, as he made sure he had judged the bounce and length of the delivery before dispatching it to the boundary. With the spinners in charge, Chand was even better with his foot work. Since his initial days in Delhi cricket, Chand has had a habit of throwing away his wicket after a strong start. But it wasn’t to be so against Odisha.

He got to his third century with a stylish cover drive off Dhiraj Singh. The celebration was muted. Seven overs after tea, Chand’s knock was brought to an end by a Govinda Podder delivery that went through his gates. But before he went he ensured Delhi would end the day on a solid footing.

Brief scores: Delhi 248/5 in 84 overs (U Chand 117, M Manhas 55 n.o; B Samantaray 1/19) vs Odisha.