Kolkata Knight Riders greenhorn batter Angkrish Raghuvanshi dedicated his debut knock to his childhood coach Abhishek Nayar, who is currently the franchise’s assistant coach. Raghuvanshi, only 18, was able to hit the blocks as he scored two fours on the first two balls he faced against Anrich Nortje.
The right-hander got into a great position for a pull shot on the first ball he faced and then punched the ball on the backfoot through the off-side to get another boundary.
The youngster went on to score 54 runs off just 27 balls with the help of five fours and three sixes. He also added 104 runs with KKR opener Sunil Narine, who smashed 85 off just 39 balls. Thus, the 18-year-old played a key role in helping KKR post 272 runs on the board, which is the second-highest total in the IPL history.
“I would like to dedicate this knock to my coach, Abhishek Nayar and my teammates and the support staff. I have a learned a lot staying with them. Abhishek sir has been working with me since my childhood. All this reverse sweep and all, he made me practice a lot. So, the main man is him only,” said Angkrish in a video uploaded on the official website of the IPL.
The 18-year-old added his ultimate goal is to play for the national team and be different from other players.
“To obviously don the Indian jersey. But to wear it like no one has ever done before. Everyone will look at me and say, I’m different,” said Angkrish.
Meanwhile, the youngster was India’s highest run-getter with 278 runs in six matches at the 2022 Under-19 World Cup in the Caribbean, which India won.
KKR will next take on Chennai Super Kings at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai on Monday.
