Raichandani’s unbeaten century steers India U-19 to clean sweep in Rajkot

Lakshya Raichandani scored an unbeaten century for India under-19 at the Niranjan Shah Stadium in Rajkot earlier this week as India completed a clean sweep; his parents, who were in the stands, stood up and applauded when a boundary took him to three figures.

Raichandani had been waiting for runs after getting starts but not converting them in the first two matches against Australia, and India had taken control of the series before he pushed for a contribution of his own. “The mindset was just to play according to the situation,” he told The Hindu.

Reflecting on the innings, he said: “It feels really good. And to remain unbeaten in a winning cause, there is nothing better than that in cricket. It was really good, and there wasn’t any pressure either. I enjoyed it,” he said.

Raichandani moved to Uttarakhand when he was 10, progressed through the under-16 and under-19 levels and has played Ranji Trophy cricket while continuing to practise in Uttarakhand. “My family has never stopped me from doing anything. They have supported me a lot,” he added.

His parents and elder brother travelled with him to Sri Lanka earlier this year and were in Rajkot for the matches; Raichandani is described as shy and said the cameras still make him uncomfortable while he prefers to let his cricket do the talking. He is a fan of Virat Kohli and Joe Root and stated his aim is to wear the national colours at the highest level.

He has played First Class cricket for Uttarakhand, scoring 223 runs in four outings, including three half-centuries.

On Sunday, when the multi-day series begins, he will be vice-captain, with Yashbardhan Singh Chauhan taking over as captain.