The wider cricket world knows Angkrish Raghuvanshi as a Kolkata Knight Riders regular. In his last IPL outing, millions saw him match Finn Allen stroke-for-stroke with a blazing 44-ball 82 against a Gujarat Titans bowling attack comprising Kagiso Rabada, Mohammed Siraj and Rashid Khan.
On Monday, at the calmer ambience of a Ranji Trophy tie (Elite Group D) against Haryana at the Sharad Pawar Academy ground in BKC here, Raghuvanshi showed he could bat time too, just over four hours for an 180-ball 114 — his maiden Ranji ton.
“It’s a very special feeling for me,” Raghuvanshi told reporters. “I mean my debut was three years back. I had got out on 92 before. Then, I got out of that team because you know how tough it is to play for Mumbai. So then, I started getting those thoughts of ‘when will I make it’.”
This being only his sixth first-class match over three seasons, it has been quiet progress. However, it is not unusual for a 22-year-old looking to gain a foothold in one of the strongest domestic setups.
Raghuvanshi was desperately chasing a tall score. Even for a batter with a wide array of strokes and extra time to play them, switching formats demands constant technical tweaks — an everyday challenge for the modern-day batter.
“I don’t know if it was becoming a perception for people (if he could play red-ball cricket), but I did have some doubts,” he said. “So, I think it is a very important (knock) in some ways.”
Haryana asked Mumbai to bat, but the green look of the pitch was misleading. Though there were no demons in the wicket, Raghuvanshi gave himself all the time before freeing himself up. The tall right-hander’s first boundary came after 27 balls.
One thing the Delhi-born, Mumbai-bred batter had going for him was red-ball batting form. It was Ayush Mhatre’s injury that created an opening and having scored two double hundreds in the CK Nayudu U23 tournament, Raghuvanshi took control over proceedings once he had his eye in.
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“A lot of people say you should just play time, but I have always been taught that while I am batting, try to look for options for your next boundary or your next run,” he said.
Raghuvanshi joined hands with the in-form Musheer Khan (109) to stitch a 208-run second wicket partnership that forced the tiring Haryana bowling attack into submission. Mumbai’s two rising batting stars — Musheer with his well-timed offensives and use of the feet and Raghuvanshi with his poised approach — gave Mumbai the upper hand as they finished on 290/3. At stumps on Day 1, skipper Siddhesh Lad (29*) and Sarfaraz Khan (21*) were at the crease.
