Angkrish Raghuvanshi hits 51 on return from finger injury

Angkrish Raghuvanshi, 22, scored 51 for Rest of India under-23 against Tamil Nadu under-23 at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium on Thursday as he resumed competitive cricket.

The left-hander had been sidelined for three months after sustaining a finger injury while on Kolkata Knight Riders duty in the IPL. Prior to this Rest of India appearance he had compiled three half-centuries for Mumbai in the Thimmappaiah Memorial tournament in Karnataka.

Raghuvanshi’s fifty came on the opening day of the encounter between Rest of India u-23 and Tamil Nadu u-23 at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium. The innings formed part of a comeback sequence after his prolonged layoff.

“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,” he added.

An interaction with Raghuvanshi included reference to Abhishek Nayar, described in the report as 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”.

“I am excited for the season, but I am not looking too far ahead,” Raghuvanshi said, outlining his immediate focus as he returns to full fitness.