IPL 2022: Who is Anuj Rawat, RCB's new batting sensation?
Anuj Rawat produced an exceptional half-century for RCB in their win against Mumbai Indians in IPL 2022.
Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) opening batter Anuj Rawat is one of the bright young Indian talents to have grabbed the fans' attention at the IPL 2022. The young left-hander with a solid technique and languid batting style has been one of the uncapped players to watch out for.
Rawat produced his best effort for the season so far in RCB's Saturday (April 9) night league-stage encounter against the Mumbai Indians (MI). The wicketkeeper-batter produced a highly impressive knock of 66 off 47 balls, including 2 fours and 6 sixes, to bat through RCB's successful run-chase.
It was the 22-year-old's first significant score in IPL cricket - his maiden half-century in the league - and a perfect example of what got RCB wholeheartedly interested in him. Anuj Rawat is known for his eye-catching ability to hit sixes and blast opposition attacks at the domestic level.
Eyeing an Indian wicketkeeper and a dependable left-hand batter at the top of the order following the departure of KS Bharat and Devdutt Padikkal from their squad, RCB filled multiple voids with one player after bidding a sum of INR 3.40 crores for Rawat at the mega auction in February.
That bid came about due to eye-catching performances in domestic cricket. Rawat made his Ranji Trophy debut before he turned 18 back in October 2017 and instantly made his mark, scoring fifties in his first two games at the first-class level. He backed that up with a maiden century in senior domestic game against Madhya Pradesh.
That hundred was a shining example of not just Rawat's talent but also his strong temperament, as he turned Delhi's fortunes around from a position of struggle at 36 for 5 with an excellent knock of 134 off 183 balls.
Yet, for his all impressive start in Ranji Trophy, it is white-ball cricket that has seen the best of the Delhi young gun, who became a near-certain pick ahead of the auction with a few tremendous performances in the last season.
Rawat averaged a 58.33 with a strike-rate of 108.69 in his four innings of the 50-over Vijay Hazare Trophy 2021-22 and backed that up with a notable campaign in the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20, hitting 15 fours and 10 sixes in just five innings.
Meet Anuj Rawat, Delhi's next 'Rishabh Pant'
Rishabh Pant, India's famed first-choice wicketkeeper-batter, is a player Anuj Rawat has a similar story with. Like Pant, Rawat switched base from Uttarakhand to Delhi in order to pursue his cricketing ambitions at a very young age with proper coaching and guidance amidst stiff competition. The cricketer originally resides from Ramnagar, a district town in Nainital, but went through his cricket schooling in the capital city of India.
Rawat moved to Delhi with his family when he was just 10. He comes from a humble background, with his father being a farmer and his mother a housewife. Yet, they never let their struggles to make ends meet come in the way of their son's dreams and aspirations.
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The moment the batter told his father of his cricketing ambitions, senior Rawat decided to shift to Delhi and ensure that his son gets the right kind of coaching in his critical early years.
Not long from then, in the 2016-17 season, Anuj Rawat was assimilated into the Delhi U-19 set-up and played the Ranji Trophy, India's premier domestic first-class competition, the following winter.
Notably, IPL 2022 with RCB is Rawat's third season in the league after a pair of seasons with inaugural season champions Rajasthan Royals (RR), who benched him the entire IPL 2020 and could fit him in for just one game in IPL 2021.
Not just role clarity and assurity of his place, the RCB think-tank has also provided Rawat with his most suited spot in the batting unit. The left-hander has shown willingness to adjust in the middle-order domestically for Delhi but has always preferred opening the innings.