Angkrish Raghuvanshi is only into his third IPL campaign, yet Kolkata Knight Riders assistant coach Shane Watson finds himself drawing an early, if cautious, parallel with Sanju Samson’s breakthrough a decade ago. The numbers are plain enough: 269 runs from ten outings, a strike rate of 135.85, 46th among batters who have faced 100-plus balls this season. They are not headline figures, but Watson keeps circling back to the raw skill he sees in the 21-year-old.
“I’ve been fortunate over the years to see some unbelievably talented young cricketers in the IPL. I remember seeing Sanju Samson as a 17-year-old and being blown away by his skill level Angkrish is another one of those players.” The Australian pauses, almost as if replaying a training session in his head. “His skill development at 21 is honestly astonishing. We’ve seen flashes of what he can do, but there’s a lot more to come. What stands out is his ability to adapt to different conditions and bowlers while still having a wide range of shot options.”
The flashes Watson refers to have appeared in staccato bursts. Raghuvanshi’s last five trips to the middle have produced 87 runs at little more than a run-a-ball, and KKR’s bigger headache is that those efforts come from No. 3, just behind captain Ajinkya Rahane, who is striking at 132.12. Two gears below top speed up front can leave the middle order scrambling.
Yet Watson is resolute. “Even in training yesterday, on a challenging wicket, some of the things he was doing were ridiculous to watch,” he says, shaking his head more in admiration than disbelief. “He’s only going to get better as he learns how to harness all that skill consistently. And now he’s keeping wickets too, which makes it even more impressive because he wasn’t originally a full-time keeper.”
Raghuvanshi picked up the gloves when the squad balance demanded it. Watson likes what he sees behind the stumps as much as with the bat. “He’s worked incredibly hard at it and done a brilliant job. The best keepers are the ones you barely notice because everything looks smooth – and he’s done that beautifully. He’s a highly skilled young man, but just as importantly, he’s incredibly eager to learn and improve. As a coach, those are the dream players to work with.”
KKR’s other point of difference this month has been Finn Allen. The New Zealander’s unbeaten 100 off 47 balls against Delhi Capitals – 100 of the team’s 147 – flipped a game and, perhaps, the franchise’s mood. Earlier in the tournament Allen had surged to 37 off 17 and 28 off seven, only to fade and lose his place. Two innings into his return he has 29 and that century, coinciding with a four-match winning run.
Watson, who coached Allen in Major League Cricket with the San Francisco Unicorns, views that progress as the natural next step. The right-hander has always possessed the power; stringing good decisions together ball after ball is the trick. It helps that Shreyas Iyer, Rinku Singh and Andre Russell can now play around an opener willing to go power-play-heavy but not recklessly so.
Tactically, KKR are keeping matters straightforward: give the new ball extra pace options, back Sunil Narine to ration runs through the middle, and trust the batting order to find one major contribution each match. That, of course, places responsibilities on Raghuvanshi and Allen – one learning how to accelerate smartly, the other tempering the throttle just enough for consistency.
Watson, experienced enough to have seen both rapid ascents and false dawns, remains measured. He sees no need for sweeping changes, only incremental gains. And if Raghuvanshi’s apprenticeship reminds him of a young Samson, it is a compliment tucked inside a clear challenge. Produce the flashes more often, knit them together, and the comparisons will take care of themselves.
