"I was nervous for sure, probably 200 percent nervous I would say" - Anuj Rawat recalls facing Jasprit Bumrah for the first time in the IPL
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) wicketkeeper-batter Anuj Rawat admitted being extremely nervous to face ace pacer Jasprit Bumrah for the first time during the IPL 2022 clash against the Mumbai Indians (MI).
After being asked to bat first, MI posted a below-par 151/6 in 20 overs on a tacky Pune wicket. Rawat opened the batting for RCB with skipper Faf du Plessis in their run-chase and got off to a sensational start.
The 24-year-old smashed two maximums off left-arm pacer Jaydev Unadkat before Bumrah came into the attack.
Recalling the moment before facing Bumrah on India's Under-19 World Cup winner Manjot Kalra's podcast, Rawat said as quoted by Hindustan Times:
"I had never faced him before. That was the first time. I was nervous for sure, probably 200 percent nervous I would say."
However, Rawat felt he was well prepared after planning for the task of facing Bumrah ahead of the match with RCB batting coach Sanjay Bangar.
"Before that game against Mumbai Indians, our coach Sanjay [Bangar] sir had already sounded me off. He said 'Agar Bumrah aaya, kya lagta hai, kya ball daalega? Kya karega? (What do you think Bumrah will bowl to you? What will he do?)' I said, 'He'll bowl full, the length to flick the ball'. He said 'Yes', and literally that was the ball he bowled to me. He targeted my legs, but I worked it away for a couple of runs," said Rawat.
He added:
"Like I said, Sanjay sir had already gotten me prepared, so I was settled but still, when you see Bumrah coming in, it does hit you a little."
The deuce against Bumrah off his first ball against the pacer set Rawat on his way as finished on 66 from 47 deliveries before being run out with the game in the bag.
"What made it special was when I got there, Virat Kohli was at the non-striker end" - Anuj Rawat
Anuj Rawat admitted scoring his first half-century in the MI clash of IPL 2022 with Virat Kohli at the non-striker's end gave him a sense of belonging at the highest level.
Rawat shared an 80-run second-wicket partnership with Kohli to help RCB get within touching distance of a comfortable win.
"As for the knock, the fifty gave me a lot of confidence and what made it special was when I got there, Virat Kohli was at the non-striker end. I had already played 3-4 games before that, but the comfort level got better and you get to know that we now belong here," said Rawat.
Anuj Rawat has been with RCB from the 2022 to 2024 IPL season but has scored no half-centuries since the above-mentioned encounter.
He has played 24 IPL games in total since debuting in 2021 with the Rajasthan Royals (RR), scoring 318 runs at an average of 19.88 and a strike rate of 119.10.