THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Despite it being a steep learning curve for him, city lad Abhishek Mohan, fresh from attending the India under-23 camp at the Karnataka State Cricket Association Ground in Alur, Bangalore, is hopeful that he has caught the eyes of the national team selectors.
“It was a great experience spending time with some of the best cricketers in the country,” said the right arm medium pacer hailing from Thiruvananthapuram who had the company of cricketers like Unmukt Chand and Vijay Zol along with Sanju V Samson during the 25-day camp.
“It was my first national camp and everyone was impressed with my bowling. The whole group was very cooperative and there was no feeling of pressure,” Abhishek told Express after returning from the camp. The bowler said that coach W V Raman, who oversaw the sessions, was impressed especially by his performance in the 50-over match last Saturday where he recorded bowling figures of three wickets for 45 runs.
Abhishek’s wickets included those of India’s under-19 World Cup captain Vijay Zol and Delhi Daredevils batsman Unmukt Chand, two of the brightest prospects in Indian cricket, speaking volumes about his lethal bowling. Now, the 21-year-old is hopeful of making it to the national team for the ACC Emerging Teams Cup slated for August.
In the practice match too, Abhishek said he was at ease as he was on the side that was captained by Samson, who also turned out to be his roommate for the month. “Sanju is very cool and helpful. He shared with me the experiences of playing in the IPL and under-19 World Cup,” Abhishek said.
Abhishek said he has also improved his bowling during the brief period in the camp. “BCCI bowling coach Joginder Puri pointed out a problem with the positioning of my bowling hand during the run up. Now, I have more control over my deliveries and can ball both inswingers and outswingers effortlessly,” he said.
Abhishek was the leading wicket-taker in the country in the under-25 C K Nayudu Trophy with 39 scalps as Kerala played the semi-finals of the competition for the first time last season.
Players for the under-23 camp that was held from June 5 to 30, including Chand, Zol, Samson, Karun Nair, Baba Aparajith, Manan Vohra and Veer Pratap Singh, among others, were picked from the C K Nayudu Trophy, Ranji Trophy and IPL.