Former Indian batter Rohan Gavaskar heaped praise on Kolkata Knight Riders’ Angkrish Raghuvanshi and reckons the youngster can represent the franchise for the next 5-10 years. Raghuvanshi has performed consistently for KKR in the ongoing season, scoring 422 runs in 12 matches at an average of 42.20 and a strike rate of 146.52.
The young batter scored an impressive knock of 82 runs off 44 balls, laced with four fours and seven sixes. Thus, he played a key role in helping KKR post an above-par score of 247 runs on the board.
Rohan Gavaskar said on Cricbuzz, “He (Raghuvanshi) is a special player. He’s still only 21 years old, very young. He played for India Under-19 in 2022, which means four years ago. So, when he was just 16 or 17 years old, he was already representing India Under-19. That itself told everyone that he was a special player. If you are playing Under-19 cricket at the age of 16 or 17, it shows that you have something special, real talent. So, there is no doubt that he is the kind of player who is going to have a long career.”
Gavaskar added that KKR has backed Raghuvanshi as the wicket-keeper ahead of Finn Allen.
“He even kept wickets. Meanwhile, an international wicketkeeper like Finn Allen did not keep wickets. That also shows that KKR see him as someone who can become their wicketkeeper-batter in the future. KKR have given him a defined role, and it seems the franchise views him as a long-term player for the team. Just like we say Rishabh Pant could play for LSG for the next five, six, eight, or even 10 years, I feel this player could also represent KKR for the next five to 10 years.”
On the other hand, former Indian fast bowler Mohit Sharma said Angkrish Raghuvanshi is among the few uncapped Indian players who have impressed one and all in the ongoing season.
“He is one of those few uncapped players who have performed exceptionally well in this tournament this year. There are only a handful of uncapped players doing really well, and his name comes in the top category among them. You’ll notice that Finn Allen scored 93 runs and he scored 82, right? Still, we gave him the Player of the Match award. Why? Because once Finn Allen had laid the foundation for a big total, a responsibility comes after that. The responsibility is about how you take that score even further.
Kolkata Knight Riders will next take on Mumbai Indians at Eden Gardens, Kolkata, on Wednesday.
