Have no issues in my body, feeling good again: Angkrish Raghuvanshi

Angkrish Raghuvanshi is back where he belongs. He is doing what he loves the most – playing cricket. The 22-year-old was deprived of that blissful feeling after being sidelined for three months with a finger injury, sustained while on Kolkata Knight Riders duty in the IPL.

But Raghuvanshi is on a comeback trail and the runs are starting to flow from his willow. After hitting three half-centuries for Mumbai in the Thimmappaiah Memorial tournament in Karnataka, he struck 51 for Rest of India u-23 on the opening day of the encounter against Tamil Nadu u-23 at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium on Thursday.

“It was a pretty bad injury, and it took me months to return to cricket. But as a cricketer, you just want to be on the field and play. This is what I want to do. I always want to be on the ground rather than on a hospital bed,” said Raghuvanshi.

“[During my recovery], I had the hunger to get back on the field. Every day I was thinking about how I could get better. The months did not fly… I was like: ‘I should be on the pitch’. I am grateful to be playing cricket again. I have no issues in my body, and I am feeling really good about my batting. I am excited for the season, but I am not looking too far ahead,” he added.

Pillar of strength

An interaction with Raghuvanshi may be incomplete without the mention of Abhishek Nayar, his long-time mentor and head coach at KKR in IPL 2026. “He is everything to me. I have learnt a lot about life and cricket from him. Anytime I have a problem, I go to him. He is a pillar [of support] in my life. I speak to him almost every day”.