Angkrish Raghuvanshi continued a remarkably prolific month of October by striking his maiden Ranji Trophy century against Haryana at the BKC ground. The 22-year-old opener scored 118 runs at a strike rate of 63, hitting 13 boundaries and a six. His effort helped Mumbai end the day in a dominant position at 290 for three, aided by a 208-run partnership with Musheer Khan, who scored 109. Who helped himself with a century of his own (109), as the home side ended the day at a strong 290 for three at the BKC ground, he also raised a 208-run partnership with Mumbai No 3 Musheer Khan.
The triple-figure score marked a impressive stretch of run-scoring for the young opening batter across multiple multi-day fixtures throughout the month
- He scored 203 for the Rest of India Under-23 team against Tamil Nadu in a match played from October 1 to 4.
- He followed it up with 201 for Mumbai Under-23 against Bengal in a fixture spanning October 12 to 15, before making 114 against Haryana on October 26.
- The latest effort should address his doubts about his own red-ball game.
Before his recent surge, Raghuvanshi held reservations regarding his capability in the longest format after registering modest scores during the KSCA tournament in September. Speaking after his century, the batter admitted to entertaining internal doubts about whether he possessed the technical discipline required for red-ball cricket until he proved it to himself on the field. “After the KSCA Trophy, he was quite confused about his style of play and what he wanted to achieve in this format. We sort of curated a plan as to what tactics and intent we wanted to carry forward.
To address those concerns, Raghuvanshi attended an intensive four-to-five-day training camp in Chennai under the guidance of his mentor and Kolkata Knight Riders head coach Abhishek Nayar. Chennai was selected as the training venue because his scheduled Under-23 matches were set to take place there. Nayar observed that the batter had become excessively defensive in longer-format games, frequently blocking or leaving deliveries that suited his natural strokeplay. So we sat down and made a plan before he got picked for the Rest of India Under-23 team. We also had a short campaign in Chennai before that. So that was sort of the start,” Nayar, a former India all-rounder and former India assistant coach, tells. “So that’s when we put together the plan and started preparing. And he acknowledged his coach’s contribution. “I had a conversation with my coach, Abhishek sir, and I was making it a huge thing in my head that maybe I don’t have the skills to play red-ball. According to it’s easier, Than done because you need to practise a certain way to feel that you can overcome it. You want to leave a lot more balls. But practising that way is the key, the suggestion is one part of it. You hope that this translates into people actually recognising the fact that he is a terrific player. Hopefully he gets one too, like a lot of kids who have got opportunities.
Nayar advised the youngster that playing red-ball cricket did not require curbing his naturally aggressive instincts, urging him instead to identify the right deliveries to attack based on pitch conditions. The coaching sessions involved practicing on diverse surface types with different balls to ensure he did not forcefully defend boundary-worthy deliveries. Nayar emphasized that while technical advice offers direction, persistent practice remains the critical element in making tactical adjustments. But the October harvest did not come easy. I asked him what I was doing wrong and if I was not disciplined enough. And you hit that boundary, you challenge yourself to hit a ball that needs to go for a boundary.
With regular Mumbai openers unavailable—Yashasvi Jaiswal participating in the national team’s series against New Zealand and vice-captain Ayush Mhatre sidelined with a season-threatening injury—Raghuvanshi’s position in the lineup appears established. Nayar expressed hope that the young opener’s recent performances will earn him broader recognition as he continues to develop his game.
