Like any upcoming cricketer on the circuit, Mumbai opener Angkrish Raghuvanshi was going through a period where he had begun doubting himself.
He made his debut three seasons ago, but had struggled to get a longer run. He had been performing decently for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the IPL, but back in the Mumbai Ranji Trophy team, a waiting list ticket awaited him.
He had two fifties in his last five first class games and despite showing some promise, the 22-year-old kept missing the bus. On Monday however, Angkrish alongwith Musheer Khan helped Mumbai ride easy on Day One of the Ranji Trophy match against Haryana, at the MCA-BKC ground. They both struck centuries that helped cleared their muddled minds from form struggles of recent times.
Their 208-run first wicket partnership (114 for Angkrish) put Mumbai on a firm footing as their day ended on 290 for 3. Haryana’s decision to bowl first looked to have backfired as the Mumbai batsmen held the upper hand throughout the three sessions.
Meanwhile for Angkrish, a perception was slowly threatening to build, around his capability to handle red ball cricket. The batsman recalled how there were many answers he was looking for, and how he dealt with the red-ball challenges.
“My debut was three years back, I fell for 92 and eventually lost my place in the side. I know how tough it is to play for Mumbai; all India players play here. So those thoughts started creeping in over whether I would ever make it (a maiden ton) or not. I don’t know what was perception of the rest of the people was, but I did have some doubts of my own. I mean, it is a very natural thing that if you don’t prove yourself, then you feel inside, that you can’t do it,” Angkrish said after the game.
Reaching out to Nayar
The KKR star in T20s likes to keep it simple and he concentrated on areas where he could get runs. Before being picked again this season, Angkrish had scored two double hundreds in under 23 cricket. He reached out to his coach Abhishek Nayar about how to overcome the middle caused by too many thoughts running through his mind.
“I had a conversation with my coach, Abhishek sir, and I realised I was making it a huge thing in my head that maybe I don’t have the skills to play red-ball. I asked him what I was doing wrong and if I was not disciplined enough,” he recalled. The only thing Nayar told him was that ‘at the end of the day, it’s cricket. “Whether I am playing white-ball or red-ball, my job is to score runs. He asked me to just go out there and not worry about what is going to happen, just think about how you can hit that ball for a boundary, and if it’s not there to hit, then defend it,” he explained
Against Haryana, Angkrish scored 114 runs before departing while trying a leg glance, while Musheer scored 109 before being adjudged leg before wicket. Till the time the duo batted, they kept the fielders busy. Angkrish and Musheer have been playing cricket together since U16 days and they acknowledges each other’s support in getting to their coveted milestones in Ranji Trophy, offering a glimpse into how the Mumbai side will shape up in coming years.