Angkrish Raghuvanshi finds red-ball form after Abhishek Nayar camp in Chennai

An October to remember for Angkrish Raghuvanshi

It has been an October to remember for Angkrish Raghuvanshi, who has hammered two double-centuries and a century in the month. Following up on his 203 for Rest of India Under-23 against Tamil Nadu (October 1 to 4) and 201 for Mumbai Under-23 against Bengal (October 12 to 15), the young Mumbai opener struck a Ranji Trophy century (114) against Haryana on Monday, October 26.

The latest effort should address his doubts about his own red-ball game. With a reputation as a white-ball specialist, Raghuvanshi had, admittedly, struggled in the multi-day format, as was evident from his underwhelming performances in the KSCA tournament in September.

"Within me, there were some doubts. It's a very natural thing. Unless I was able to prove it to myself, I wasn't sure whether I would be able to do it or not," said the 22-year-old Mumbai opener after scoring his maiden century in the Ranji Trophy.

A camp in Chennai and a plan for red-ball cricket

The October harvest did not come easy. Before the Under-23 matches, he attended a short camp in Chennai under the supervision of his mentor, Abhishek Nayar. Chennai was chosen because his Under-23 matches were scheduled to be played there, and the two worked hard on his red-ball technique.

"After the KSCA Trophy, he was quite confused about his style of play and what he wanted to achieve in this format. So we sat down and made a plan before he got picked for the Rest of India Under-23 team. We sort of curated a plan as to what tactics and intent we wanted to carry forward. 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, told Cricbuzz.

"So that's when we put together the plan and started preparing. We had a good four-or-five-day camp in Chennai."

Too defensive, and the fix

Raghuvanshi plays for Kolkata Knight Riders, for whom Nayar is the head coach, 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. I asked him what I was doing wrong and if I was not disciplined enough. The only thing he told me was 'at the end of the day, it's cricket.'"

The problem, as identified by Nayar, was that Raghuvanshi had become too defensive in red-ball cricket, leaving or blocking deliveries rather than hitting them, which would otherwise be his strength.

"Just because it's red-ball cricket, you need not always block, defend or leave the ball. The suggestion was that if a ball needs to be hit, you need to hit it. But you have to figure out which ball to hit based on the conditions and start practising for those conditions."

"Practice is the key to all of this. The suggestion is one part of it, but practising that way is the key," Nayar said, adding that Raghuvanshi's game is naturally aggressive and that this aggression makes it easier to defend or leave the ball when needed.

Century against Haryana

The form showed in the Ranji Trophy. His 118 came at a strike rate of 63, with 13 fours and a six. He also added a 208-run partnership with Mumbai No 3 Musheer Khan, who made a century of his own (109), as the home side ended the day at a strong 290 for three at the BKC ground.

With Yashasvi Jaiswal away on national duty in New Zealand and vice-captain Ayush Mhatre out injured for virtually the season, both openers, Raghuvanshi's place in the Mumbai team, which is otherwise difficult to break into, looks secure for the season.

"Well, I think it should do something. You hope that this translates into people actually recognising the fact that he is a terrific player. Like a lot of kids who have got opportunities, hopefully he gets one too. As I always say, you need to play the game for the right reasons, which is the love of the game. The rest looks after itself," Nayar said.