Aneeshwar Gautam
It’s been a hard grind and I’ve played three years of U-23 and led Karnataka for two years.
Speaking about the years between the call-ups Aneeshwar said, “I’ve waited a long time for this moment. I knew I would have to wait for my opportunity and score a lot of runs to come back into the team. When the runs weren’t coming for a season, I knew hard work would get me back into the side. Once the runs started coming, my belief and confidence in my return increased. Join conversation Share your thoughts in the comments Be respectful · TOI community guidelines ” SCOREBOARD
On Wednesday, against Tripura, the 23-year-old found his rhythm. After 200 deliveries and 298 minutes at the crease, he looked up at the sky, removed his helmet and raised his bat. Manvanth Kumar continued to impress with an entertaining 51 (75b, 6×4, 2×6), while No. 10 Ritesh Bhatkal, who has showcased his batting prowess in KSCA league cricket, produced a stroke-filled unbeaten 74 off 100 balls (11×4, 1×6). Aneeshwar needed 110 balls to reach his half-century, while Manvanth got there in 71, marking the milestone with a lofted six over midwicket. Manvanth’s entertaining knock ended when Sandip Sarkar (3/147) trapped him in front, but Ritesh took over with an innings that featured 11 fours and a solitary six. Tripura (I innings): 194. Karnataka (I innings; o/n 297/7): Aneeshwar Gautam c S Sarkar b Sultan 100, Manvanth Kumar lbw Sandip Sarkar 51, Ritesh Bhatkal (not out) 74, Shikhar Shetty (not out) 1. Extras (B-5, LB-8, W-1 NB-2) 10. Total (9 wkts; 144 overs) 490 decl. Fall of wickets: 8-370, 9-477. Bowling: M Murasingh 25-5-91-0, Abhijit Sarkar 24-3-95-3, Bikram Debnath 14-2-50-0, Sandip Sarkar 46-5-147-3, Parvez Sultan 35-2-94-3. Tripura (II innings): Bikramkumar Das c Mayank b Shreyas 26, Hrituraj Roy c Rohan b Shreyas 13, Babul Dey lbw Shreyas 28, Sridam Paul (batting) 30, Parvez Sultan (batting) 0. Total (3 wkts; 38 overs) 98. Fall of wickets: 1-33, 2-46, 3-96. Bowling: Manvanth Kumar 6-0-26-0, Vyshak Vijaykumar 8-3-12-0, Shreyas Gopal 13-2-25-3, Ritesh Bhatkal 5-1-10-0, Shikhar Shetty 6-0-24-0.
The hard yards earned him another call-up this season. With several regular batters away on India duty, Aneeshwar made his Karnataka debut against Saurashtra last week. Batting lower down the order, he admitted that nerves got the better of him, and he managed just seven runs across two innings. There was little exuberance after he flicked a Parvez Sultan delivery to fine leg for a single to bring up his maiden first-class century. The understated celebration mirrored his innings — unhurried and built on patience, with a blend of old-world grace and modern strokeplay. At the SDNRW Ground here, it was a day for Karnataka’s rookies to make their presence felt. Get the latest Sports News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.
MYSURU: In 2022, months after being part of India’s U-19 World Cup-winning team, Aneeshwar Gautam received his maiden Ranji Trophy call-up. What followed was a few years of rebuilding after a slump in form, captaining the state U-23 side and making his mark as an all-rounder in league cricket and the KSCA Maharaja Trophy T20 tournament. Their contributions helped Karnataka reach 490/9 in 144 overs before declaring, stretching their lead to 296. Needing a win to strengthen their push for a knockout berth, Karnataka made an encouraging start with the ball, but Tripura’s batters offered resistance and reached 98/3 in 38 overs. On a flat track, leg-spinner Shreyas Gopal claimed 3/25 to leave the visitors still trailing by 198 runs and his team in a position of command. Resuming the penultimate day at 33, Aneeshwar was intent on grinding it out. With the hosts keen to build a substantial cushion and avoid batting again, the left-hander joined hands with Manvanth to add 85 runs for the eighth wicket. Having spent the past couple of years together in the state U-23 setup and franchise cricket, the duo complemented each other well, rotating the strike while Manvanth took the more aggressive approach. At the other end, Aneeshwar tightened up further after crossing 70, and boundaries dried up. The next 30 runs took him another 70 deliveries, with 56 singles accounting for much of his eventual century. His 107-run partnership with Ritesh ended soon after he reached his milestone, when he attempted an expansive sweep and top-edged Parvez Sultan (3/94) to wicketkeeper Sentu Sarkar.
Though he did not make his Karnataka senior-team debut then, the stint gave him a taste of the dressing-room environment. Patience was his greatest asset, and Karnataka needed plenty of it after slipping to seven down. But the youngster had done enough to ensure his team was in the driver’s seat.