Meet Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Mumbai’s next ‘Rohit Sharma’ | U-19 World Cup 2022

Mumbai born Angkrish Raghuvanshi is the only player from the city of dreams to have made it through to India’s squad for the upcoming U-19 World Cup in the Caribbean. Raghuvanshi has been included in India’s youth Asia Cup and World Cup squads after catching the selectors’ eyes and attention with his class and ability in his age bracket.

Raghuvanshi made his mark at the U-19 Vinoo Mankad Trophy in Ahmedabad in September-October, scoring 214 runs in his four matches, including two half-centuries. From there, he bagged the nod for the U-19 Challengers Trophy and scored 141 runs in his five games.

An opening batter, for those who have seen him bat and progress closely, Angkrish Raghuvanshi invokes memories of watching a young Rohit Sharma go about his business. Unlike Rohit, Raghuvanshi’s name hasn’t quite forced the world to turn their eyes on him. But just like the once prodigiously talented young gun, he is certainly someone who can also mesmerise people when in full flow.

“When you see him batting in full flow, you feel that you’re watching a young Rohit Sharma,” said Atul Ranade, Mumbai’s U-19 chief selector, in an interview with Times of India. “The way he pulls the ball, hits it over covers, reminds you of Rohit in his early days. For an 18-year-old, he generates tremendous power.”

“From what we saw of him in the selection matches and for the Mumbai under-19 team, he’s has time to play his strokes. He’s has beautiful hands, plays well off the backfoot and plays the ball late.”

Mumbai stalwart Abhishek Nayar has played an important role in Angkrish Raghuvanshi’s journey. (pic courtesy: Twitter/Mid-Day)

Angkrish Raghuvanshi’s ascent to U-19 World Cup squad

Angkrish Raghuvanshi’s journey hasn’t all been hunky-dory, however. Take for example his recent surge to the World Cup squad. His tally in the great Vinoo Mankad Trophy was compiled while Mumbai as a team struggled to make it past the league stage. He then had to be a stand-out player at the Challengers Trophy or he risked being left out of the U-19 World Cup race.

Raghuvanshi was only 11 when he moved to Mumbai from Delhi – his original birth place – as former India and Mumbai allrounder Abhishek Nayar encouraged him to shift base. Nayar, one of Mumbai’s finest modern-day cricketers who has turned into a strong confidant of various Indian players, saw Raghuvanshi bat when he visited the Wilston College Gymkhana for a trial.

So impressed was the Mumbai great by young kid’s talent and promise that he immediately asked him to shift cities and even arranged for him a flat in his own building in Powai, so as to not only give him a place to reside in but also to keep a close track of his development and growth.

“It was my uncle (Sahil Kukreja) who asked me to approach Nayar. Since then, I’ve been under his tutelage. I owe everything to him – from learning technique to imbibing the right mindset. He’s my guru, mentor, cricket coach all rolled into one,” Raghuvanshi told TOI.

From very early in life, Angkrish Raghuvanshi has had a close-knit relationship with the sporting world. He has grown up in a family where his father and mother are both India representatives in their respective sports. While his father Avneesh played tennis for India, his mother Malika played volleyball. Raghuvanshi’s younger brother is a tennis player, too, and wishes to follow in his father’s footsteps.

“It helps to have such a sporting environment in the family. I was confident about being picked after doing well in the U-19 Challengers. I’m now very excited to play for the India U-19 team,” said Raghuvanshi, who idolises Sachin Tendulkar and AB De Villiers.