He is my guru, mentor, everything: Angkrish Raghuvanshi on Abhishek Nayar

“Hi, How were you? Excited to speak with you.”

That’s not how post-match presentations begin. But Angkrish Raghuvanshi, the 18-year-old Delhi born from Mumbai, had a beaming smile when he recognised that Harsha Bhogle’s voice was questioning him about his high intent and highly entertaining 54 runs off 27 balls. 

This enthusiasm to play the game at this level, in front of experts of the game he has seen from his childhood, came through at that moment for the first time. Because prior to that, his runs that came at a strike rate of 200 hardly gave the impression that he was playing at this level of the game. His skipper, Shreyas Iyer, also praised his “fearless from ball one” approach to batting. 

Coming in at number three after the Kolkata Knight Riders had already reached 60 in 4.3 overs. Raghuvanshi continued from where Phil Salt had left, scoring shots all around the ground, completely unfazed about the quality of bowling he was facing. 

When asked about what worked for him and his methods, the right-hander revealed that it was all pretty simple for him, as he just looked at the ball and hit it. 

“I was supposed to bat number three in the previous match, but also if a wicket fell in the powerplay. That’s what my role is. I went in to bat today, and everything sort of just happened. It happened very quickly so I wasn’t thinking very much. I don’t know what to say,” Raghuvanshi said in the press conference. 

Also read - Dear IPL, say hello to Angkrish Raghuvanshi

His not thinking much about the game while in the middle boils down to the rigorous training he has received in the Mumbai setup through his mentor and coach, Abhishek Nayar, who the 18-year-old credits for his rise.

“It was pretty simple. The way I’ve been practising the past few years with my coach Abhishek Nayar and how he has made me practice, I didn’t really have to think too much while I went to bat. I just backed my instincts and trusted that what I did during practice was enough.”

“The way he’s made me practice, he’s made me face tough situations, nothing will come close to that in a match,” Raghuvanshi said. 

Nayar has had an impact on all facets of Angkrish Raghuvanshi’s life, and Raghuvanshi called him his guru. 

“He’s [Nayar] helped me everywhere - the way I think about the game, the way I work towards the game, the things I eat, the way I train for the game. He’s my guru and mentor and everything. That’s my relationship with him. I’ve learnt a lot from him.”

KKR has now won three games on the trot in the ongoing IPL 2024, and they’ll be up against the Chennai Super Kings at Chepauk on April 08. KKR would hope that Raghuvanshi continues the kind of batting display there as well, and his 'team first' thinking was quite evident when he ended the press conference by admitting that, 

“It’s nice to get into the tournament with a fifty, but more importantly three wins in three games, and that’s what our entire team is thinking as well.”