“I am sure my grandmother was watching” - Abhinav Mukund shares heartfelt post after anchoring 1st IND vs BAN 2024 Test
Former India opener Abhinav Mukund shared a post on X, revealing he was nervous about his debut stint as an anchor during the Test fixture between India and Bangladesh in Chennai. This was due to his grandmother passing away less than 24 hours before the game.
Although Mukund has served as an expert in U19 T20 World Cup 2024, IPL 2024 and TNPL, it was his first experience as an anchor. However, a tragedy in the form of his grandmother's death shook his confidence, but the game being played at his home ground uplifted his spirits.
In his heartfelt post, Mukund shared that his grandmother was surely watching him from heaven to keep him calm throughout the game. He also praised Indian ace spinner and local boy Ravichandran Ashwin for his all-round performances, which helped the Indian team win by 280 runs. Notably, he pointed out Ashwin equaling Shane Warne's record of 37 five-wicket hauls.
Moreover, the former batter also thanked Parthiv Patel, Tamim Iqbal and Saba Karim, who were the experts for his show. Here's what Mukund posted:
"Less than 24 hours after my grandmother passed away, I had to go ‘live’ as an anchor for the very 1st time. From cricketer to expert and now hosting the show I was nervous. But thankfully I felt at home in chepauk and managed to sail through these 4 days and watched the local boy @ashwinravi99 scale newer heights and equal the late Shane Warne’s tally of 5wkt hauls.
"Another box ticked in my broadcasting career hosting the English show on @officialjiocinema and I am extremely thankful to @parthiv9 and @TamimOfficial28 for giving me such lovely company throughout the test match. @SyedSabaKarim5 was “natty” as well!😂."
He added:
"Enjoyed my first test match, I am sure my grandmother was watching over me to ensure I was calm amidst the chaos! Off to Kanpur now."
Abhinav Mukund had a glorious domestic career for Tamil Nadu
Making his domestic debut in 2007, Abhinav Mukund quickly became a mainstay of the Tamil Nadu state team due to his consistency and strong technique. The performances helped him make his Test debut against West Indies in June 2011. However, he could feature in only seven Tests for India, scoring 370 runs, with his last appearance coming against Sri Lanka in 2017.
Mukund maintained his supreme form in first-class cricket and amassed 10,258 runs at an average of 47.93, with 31 centuries. Interestingly, he ended as Tamil Nadu's top batter in his last Ranji Trophy season (2019/20) with 564 runs in nine innings. He scored a double century against the eventual champions Saurashtra.
Meanwhile, Mukund garnered over 4,000 runs in the List-A format at a prolific average of 52.03, with 12 centuries. His last professional appearance came in February 2020.