Angkrish Raghuvanshi remained unsung despite amassing 278 runs during India’s triumphant U-19 World Cup campaign in 2022. But on Wednesday, Raghuvanshi waived his anonymity in a matter of 27 balls, paving the way for Kolkata Knight Riders’ 106-run hammering on the capitals of Delhi. in the Indian Premier League. Hailing from the Abhishek Nayar coaching school, the 18-year-old downplayed his efforts and thanked his ‘guru’, saying he influenced him the most and dedicating his stunning 54-run knock to the former Mumbai opener.
“He’s helped me in everything, the way I think about the game, the way I work towards the game, the things I eat, the way I train. He’s basically my guru and everything. That’s my relationship with him,” said Raghuvanshi. said at his post-match press conference.
In recent years, Nayar has emerged as a prominent coach in domestic and franchise circuits, most notably playing a key role even in the revival of seasoned campaigners like Dinesh Karthik.
Speaking about his training regime, Raghuvanshi reiterated the role played by Nayar.
“It was quite simple, the way I practiced with my coach Abhishek Nayar over the last few weeks and over the last few years…the way he made me practice. I didn’t really have to think much when I went out to bat.
“I just fought with my instincts and I just trusted it. What I did during training was enough, the way he made me practice. He made sure I faced difficult conditions during training” , he said.
Raghuvanshi, India’s highest run-getter at the 2022 U-19 World Cup, was born in Delhi but moved to Mumbai at the age of 11 to train under Nayar and Omkar Salvi.
Since moving to Mumbai, Nayar has been a mentor to him. He played for Mumbai in the recent Mushtaq Ali and Vijay Hazare Trophies.
“I would like to dedicate this blow to my coach, Abhishek Nayar, my teammates and the support staff. I learned a lot by staying with them.
“Abhishek sir has been working with me since my childhood. All those reverse movements and stuff meant I had to practice a lot. So the main man is him alone,” said Raghuvanshi.
All these shots were on display as Raghuvanshi stitched a 104-run stand with Sunil Narine as KKR scored 272/7 in their 20 overs.
Speaking about his experience in his first outing with the bat in IPL, he said: “It was fun, (the ball) came to bat quite well. I think the way we have been practicing over the last few weeks… we are used to got to play at a good level, and that’s actually how it helped.
“I was supposed to bat at number three in the previous match if a wicket fell in the powerplay, so that’s my role. Everything happened very quickly. I didn’t think too much.” He added: “It’s nice to start the tournament with 50, but more importantly, three wins in three matches (for KKR) and that’s all the whole team is thinking about. It’s not personal, it’s the way we can win games for our players.” team.”
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