Rishabh Pant and Anuj Rawat : Similarities

The left-handed wicketkeeper batter is known for his ferocious and confident batting abilities. From his unique batting style to his story, young talent Anuj Rawat holds many similarities with India's current sensational wicketkeeper batter, Rishabh Pant! 

Anuj Rawat is believed to follow Delhi Capitals skippers Rishabh Pant's footstep and is making his way brilliantly through the IPL. Like Rishabh Pant, the skipper is famed for his destructive six-hitting abilities and expending his vocal energy behind the stumps, Anuj Rawat holds similar qualities. 

Same-origin, same story!

Anuj Rawat originates from a small town in Uttarakhand, whereas Rishabh Pant also comes from Uttarakhand. Both the wicketkeeper batters left their hometown for nurturing their cricket. After advice given by his coach, Anuj Rawat shifted to Delhi to enrich his abilities. Coincidentally, Rishabh Pant had also moved to Delhi for his cricket. Just like Rishabh Pant and many others, Rawat's journey started from the backyard of his house. With his excellent display of cricket, the youngster was further promoted to play at various levels.

Rawat made his Ranji debut for Delhi just before turning 18, while Pant also made his debut for Delhi in Ranji Trophy. The youngster turned out to be a saviour for Delhi in the 2018 Ranji Trophy when he scored a century in a crucial situation to seal a win against Madhya Pradesh. Since then, the youngster has been a consistent performer in domestic cricket, especially with the white ball. The youngster also proved his potential in Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. He further shone in Vijay Hazare Trophy with his brilliant batting performance, with an appreciable average of 58.33 with a strike rate of more than 108. While Pant became a consistent performer for the national side, Rawat started getting more chances. Consequently, with his incredible performance, Anuj Rawat caught everyone's eyes and was further picked up by Rajasthan Royals. He spent two years with the team but unfortunately could play just two matches. However, the time spent with many experts during this phase helped him a lot to nourish his skills.

RCB: A game changer for Rawat!

Following his sensational domestic cricket performances, Rajasthan Royals bought Anuj Rawat in 2020 for a base price of INR 80 lakhs; however, he got to debut in 2021 for just two matches. After his lack of performance and opportunity for RR, Royal Challengers Bangalore picked up his potential and bagged him for a whopping amount of INR 3.4 crores, seventeen times his base price! His fearless six-hitting ability and great sense of cricket impressed the team management, and thus Rawat was given the opportunity to open the innings for RCB alongside skipper Faf du Plessis, which was his natural position. Like Rishabh Pant, the youngster was gaining confidence and maturity with time. In his very fourth match, Rawat slammed 66 runs off 47 balls and helped seal RCB's win against Mumbai Indians.

Anuj Rawat: A future star of Indian cricket?

Although Rishabh Pant has achieved great fame for India, he went through numerous ups and downs in his career. But an important factor in building Rishabh Pant was the support he gained from the seniors. Despite of his struggles in international games, Pant was backed by management and thus got the opportunity to develop his cricket. Like Pant, Anuj Rawat has enough potential to turn into a great name in cricket if shown essential support and trust. There are not many cricketers like Rawat; the fearlessness and his headstrong attitude on the field are unique. He definitely has the ability to turn into a great cricketer, and we can indeed look upon him as the future of Indian cricket.