When arguably one of the game’s finest openers is following your progress, stays in touch and sends a text saying, “Perfect. Very good job!” — you know you’ve done something right.

Maharashtra’s Arshin Kulkarni, playing in the Buchi Babu tournament in Chennai, earned that exact compliment from his Lucknow Super Giants coach, Justin Langer, after a stunning performance.

The 20-year-old from Solapur scored a sensational 146 in the first innings and followed it up with a composed 69 in the second, guiding Maharashtra to a comprehensive win over Himachal Pradesh.

In an exclusive chat with The Hindu, Arshin reflected on the knock, his time with LSG during the IPL, and his rapport with Langer.

“Firstly, I’m pleased I could contribute to my team. I’ve been to Chennai before, during the IPL and trained here. The wicket was excellent — it felt really good to bat on”, Arshin said.

Recollecting the moment he was picked in the IPL auction, he said, “I was at home with my mom and sister. When LSG picked me, they both had tears in their eyes — happy tears. It was one of the most emotional moments for our family”.

His IPL experience, especially the exposure in the dressing room, left a lasting impression.

“It was surreal to share the space with legends. Just observing their work ethic and discipline taught me so much. Rishabh bhaiyya gave me amazing advice — keep things simple and always stay in the present. That really stuck with me”.

Talking about Langer, Arshin shared a key moment from one of their early interactions.

“During our first practice session, JL told me, ‘Watch the ball like Maxwell’. He referenced Maxwell’s 201 in the World Cup — especially how he watched the ball so closely, even when he couldn’t move. That advice stayed with me”.

“JL and I still stay in touch. We keep talking about my batting. I texted him after scoring 146 and 69 in the Buchi Babu, and he replied, ‘Perfect. Very good job!’ That message meant a lot”.

For Arshin, the message is simple: stay grounded and keep doing the job.

A young left-arm pacer from Punjab introduced himself to the cricketing world with a stunning debut in IPL 2025.

His very first delivery? A dream ball — swinging away late and drawing the edge of Ajinkya Rahane to have him caught at backward-point. Next came Rinku Singh, known for his brutal hitting, but the youngster unsettled the southpaw with a sharp bouncer that ended his stay.

Then entered Manish Pandey. An absolute peach of an inswinger trapped him plumb in front—two wickets in the same over.

But the best was yet to come.

Andre Russell—one of the most intimidating batters—was first pushed onto the backfoot with a short ball and then undone by a scorching yorker that uprooted the middle stump, leaving the Kolkata Knight Riders stunned.

In just three overs, Ashwani Kumar had made his mark. His final figures: 3-0-24-4.

Now playing for Punjab in the longer format in the Buchi Babu Tournament, the 23-year-old spoke to the media about his IPL stint and his ambitions for the forthcoming season.

“It all started during the Sher-E-Punjab tournament. Rahul Sanghvi sir, spotted me. Shortly after, I got a call for trials with the Mumbai Indians. The entire MI support staff was present— Kieron Pollard, Mahela Jayawardene (MJ), and everyone else. I think they liked what they saw, and that’s how I got picked,” said Ashwani.

“It was surreal. I still remember meeting Hardik (Pandya) bhaiyya and Rohit (Sharma) bhaiyya. They told me I would be bowling in the death overs and helped me prepare mentally. The message was clear: stay calm, back your skills.”

“When Trent Boult saw me bowling during the camp, he started calling me ‘Swingie’—that became my nickname for the whole tournament! I asked him questions about wrist position, swing control, and lengths. He was generous with his time and tips.”

“(Jasprit) Bumrah bhai was amazing. He taught me how to read the wicket and how to control the game from my end. He said there will be plenty of matches ahead and I’d eventually win games for my team—but I must remain balanced, both on and off the field.”

“The ultimate dream—to wear the India jersey and win matches for the country. That’s my biggest motivation and ambition,” he said.

Skipper Kumar Kushagra brought up his century (103) as Jharkhand posted 283 against Hyderabad on day two of the second-round match in the All India Buchi Babu invitational cricket tournament at the Guru Nanak college ground in Chennai on Saturday (August 23, 2025).

In response, Hyderabad reached 223 for four, courtesy of opener P. Nitish Reddy’s breezy 106. Nitish and left-hander Rahul Radesh (61 batting) added 124 runs for the second-wicket partnership.

Left-hander Soham Patwardhan, too, struck a ton to help Madhya Pradesh to 230 for nine versus Punjab at the MRF-Pachaiyappa’s ground.

A 158-run second-wicket stand between Qamran Iqbal (81) and Musaif Aijaz (80) helped Jammu & Kashmir secure a 104-run first-innings lead over Baroda at the TI-Murugappa ground.

For Baroda, left-arm spinner Aryan Chavda starred with five for 94.

The scores (round two, day two): Group-A: At Gojan-B: TNCA President’s XI 384/9 vs Maharashtra 105/2 in 24 overs (Prithvi Shaw 47 batting).

At SSN: Himachal Pradesh 144 vs Chhattisgarh; Play washed out.

Group-B: At TI-Murugappa: Baroda 176 & 4 for no loss in 1 over vs J&K 280 in 87.4 overs (Qamran Iqbal 81, Musaif Aijaz 80, Abid Mushtaq 49, Aryan Chavda 5/94).

At SRMC, turf: Odisha 222 vs Railways 138/6 in 48 overs.

Group-C: At Gojan-A: TNCA XI 414/8 vs Haryana; Play washed out.

At IITM-Chemplast: Mumbai 266 in 88 overs (Suved Parkar 47, Himanshu Singh 59, Ishan Porel 4/37) vs Bengal 57/1 in 20 overs.

Group-D: At MRF-Pachaiyappa’s: Madhya Pradesh 230/9 in 90 overs (Rudransh Singh 63, Soham Patwardhan 108) vs Punjab 137/2 in 33 overs (Harnoor Singh Pannu 45).

At Guru Nanak: Jharkhand 283 89.3 overs (Kumar Kushagra 103, Tanay Thyagarajan 4/75, Rohith Rayudu 4/69) vs Hyderabad 223/4 in 53 overs (P. Nitish Reddy 106, Rahul Radesh 61 batting).