Abhinav Mukund 100 Ranji Matches

Was pitched against the Best of bowlers in the Worst of Conditions in England
A case of what might have been 

Way back in 2007, this (current one) is not a story I would have visualised to write at the beginning of 2020 on Abhinav Mukund.  One of my first cricket stories was on the then 17 year old Abhinav Mukund, on the brink of making his Ranji debut (http://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2007/09/cricket-pick-of-month-abhinav-mukund.html). He was all set for a top notch long test career for India as he broke domestic cricketing records sooner than most batsmen on the circuit.He has also been the TN player I have tracked and followed the most during this decade as well as the one on whom I have written the most. However, over a dozen years after that story, his has been a case of what might have been. 

This afternoon he scored a scorching century against Railways on the occasion of his 100^th Ranji match with his fastest almost run a ball Ranji ton as he batted in an unusually aggressive style (his mentor from his school days S Sharath too got a century in his 100th Ranji match)

By the time he was out of school, he had already scored more runs than any TN school boy in the history of TN cricket. He scored runs every time he went to bat - for his school, in age group cricket and in inter state age group matches. His basics seemed to be strong, coached day in day out by his cricketer father TS Mukund from the time he was five years old. One just could not take the bat out of his hands or the runs from the score sheet every time he went out to bat.

Unfortunately, a variety of factors played against Abhinav at the most opportune phases in his career. Soon after his Ranji debut came an unwelcome distraction in the form of IPL that has been a stepping stone for many cricketers in India including his Ranji team mate (in today's match) R. Ashwin. But Abhinav was not made for IPL or T20 cricket. He sat alongside Virat Kohli on the flight to Singapore for the U19 World Cup over a decade ago. The early success of Virat in the shorter form of the game prompted Abhinav to challenge himself in that form. In those very early days in his cricketing career, his mind moved away towards showcasing himself as a successful cricketer in the shorter form as well including in the T20 version. It probably was one of the biggest mistakes he had made in his career. 

I remember that day in the terrace at Chepauk when I pleaded with his father coach TS Mukund to get his interest away from T20 but it was not to be. His father- coach remarked that day that Abhinav was determined to succeed in the shorter format and that his son believed that he had it in him to make it big in T20. Unfortunately, he did not and could not. Even though he was included in the CSK squad in those early years, chances weren’t forthcoming in that strong team.

His next series in England came in almost unplayable conditions against the best bowlers in the world at that time – Anderson and Harmison were all over India in swinging conditions that were completely one sided and favourable to the bowlers. In one of the toughest conditions for an opener for a long time, Abhinav impressed with the bat with a half century that even had Sunil Gavaskar commending his style of play in that series. But the heavy defeat took a toll on the team and Abhinav unfortunately has not had too many chances since. 

On the come back path, almost 4 years after the English whitewash, Abhinav made his way back into the test team on the back of continued domestic success. It looked like the man was still determined to make it big in Test cricket as he looked assured in that innings against Sri Lanka batting alongside his U19 world cup captain Virat Kohli. However, here again, destiny played against him and rather unfortunately for him, after almost having seen out two sessions without a hiccup, he got out in the last over of the day for 82. Had he seen through that over, he may well have gone on to a big hundred the next morning and the selectors may have been in a quandary over dropping a centurion. That remains his last test innings to-date. 

For a man with close to 10000 runs in first class cricket, destiny played itself against Abhinav at the most crucial time in his career as he was pitched against the best bowlers in the world in the worst batting conditions. It is unlikely that any overseas opener would have succeeded in those conditions and against the rampant duo of Anderson and Harmison.

Had he debuted in India on more favourable pitches for openers, it may have been a completely different story for Abhinav. With his talent, the high concentration levels and the strong coaching foundation given by his father, he may have well amassed thousands of runs for India as a long standing opener of the decade. At important moments in his career, his Ranji and International team mate, R Ashwin had the rub of the green bowling on turning tracks in India helping build his confidence. For Abhinav, it was not to be.

On the domestic front though, there has been no one close to Abhinav this decade on the batting front. He broke most domestic batting records early on in his career, strolling to 3000, 4000 and 5000 runs on the domestic circuit before he touched 25. Early on, he made big tons and has been the rock of the TN batting through the decade. As the years passed by, he went past the records of all the batting legends of TN cricket and all this while he was still very young.

At 30, he may still have many years of domestic cricket ahead of him. If he keeps his motivation going, it is likely that Abhinav will in the coming years break all domestic batting records but for me all those years ago he was meant to break Test records, such was his penchant for scoring runs in the longer format of the game. And yet, like with so many of the TN batsmen in the era gone by, his has thus far been a case of what might have been.