Back after a gap of five years, Abhinav Mukund shares his journey that saw him rise again
A lot has changed in the five years since Abhinav Mukund made his Test debut for India against the West Indies in Jamaica. Back then in 2011, MS Dhoni was the team’s captain and wicket-keeper and the playing XI team had two more debutants. As Mukund’s five-year hiatus comes to an end with a recall for the one-off Test against Bangladesh, Virat, who received his Test cap in the same match, has already led India in 22 Tests.
After leading the India A side in the two-day warm-up match against Bangladesh, Mukund joined the team on Tuesday. He started off with a high-intensity fielding drill with Ajinkya Rahane conducted by Head Coach Anil Kumble and then proceeded for a net session.
“It almost seems like a debut for me. It has been so long since I played for India. A lot of things have changed, but we are still the No. 1 team,” said the batsman from Tamil Nadu as he settled down for a chat with BCCI.TV.
Named in the squad as reserve opener, Mukund said that despite the long gap, he felt comfortable fitting into the team environment. “I received a warm welcome. A lot of them understand that making a comeback after five years is not easy. They have embraced the fact. I know Virat from my U-19 days, so it's back to normal for both of us. I am quite excited to watch him train as he is a world beater now and a world-class batsman.”
Asked what change he has undergone from the time he made his debut, Mukund pointed out that it was his maturity as a cricketer. “I am much more confident and more aware. I will obviously be a little nervous if I get to play, but I am better prepared than last time. Back then I was 21 and was still figuring out how to bat and how I was going through in life. Right now, I am a much more matured person. If I am given a go, I will be able to do justice to it.”
He admitted that there were times when he got too desperate as the wait to get back to the Indian team grew longer. “I have gone through all the emotions. I was desperate one season and was also calm in the next. It has been a mixture of both that has worked for me. It is important for me to continue doing the things I know the best like scoring big, batting well and keep working on my fitness and training. I think I have been successful doing that and that is the reason I am back this year. I thank all the selectors for reposing the faith in me.”
Perhaps due to his past experiences of not finding his name in India’s squad, Mukund, despite scoring four centuries this Ranji Trophy season after starting off with a ton in the Duleep Trophy, was not perturbed about team selection. “I didn’t work towards the fact that I would get a call-up. I would look at selections and get disappointed. This time around I didn’t even know when the team would be declared and I got selected. I think that is the way to go about it. When you least expect things, they come to you. I want to cherish the moment and want to continue working hard. This is a real boost for me.”
The 27-year-old said he was looking forward to having interactions with fellow state mate M Vijay and KL Rahul, the two regular openers. “I will have a lot of interactions with them. Personally, I feel they are very successful in international cricket, something that I wasn’t able to do first time around. I would like to talk to them and get some knowledge as to how they went about in their international career. I’d like to pick their brains.”
Mukund felt that though India A dominated Bangladesh in the warm-up tie, the visitors will comeback stronger when the Test starts on Thursday. “The India A team that was picked had about five to six players with over 850 runs in this domestic season. It speaks about the bench strength that we have. Bangladesh did not have two of their main players, so they will be looking to comeback stronger. They are playing in India for the first time and much better prepared for the Test now after the practice game.”
