Atharva Ankolekar, costliest buy of T20 Mumbai League, sees it as a platform to scale new career heights

New Delhi, May 19 Mumbai left-arm spinner Atharva Ankolekar is not getting carried away with the costliest player tag of the T20 Mumbai League and is focusing on his process to repay the faith shown by the Eagle Thane Strikers, who bought him for Rs 16.25 lakh in the auction earlier this month.

The 24-year-old made a significant rise in his career with his performances in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and the Vijay Hazare Trophy. He was involved in a title-clinching six-ball 16 not out cameo for Mumbai in the SMAT final.

The bowling all-rounder contributed in both ways and amassed a vital 146 runs while batting at the lower middle-order for Mumbai in six batting opportunities across both competitions. He also bagged 12 scalps in 10 games of the white-ball tournaments.

His best bowling performance came against Hyderabad in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, where he returned with the figures of 4-55 in his ten-over spell. Moreover, his 66 against Punjab, in the same tournament, was his best batting show in recent times.

"It's an opportunity for me as Eagle Thane Strikers trusted me and paid the highest price for me in the auction. It's time for me to repay the faith," Ankolekar told IANS in an exclusive interaction.

"I'm focusing on both departments, I'm working equally on my bowling and batting. I enjoy contributing to the team in both ways.

"We've a balanced squad with a good mix of batters, bowlers and all-rounders. The preparation is going well. We've done two practice sessions and a gym session together. We also played a match recently, and it is going well so far," he added on the combination of their squad for the upcoming tournament.

Most of Ankolekar's performances in the last domestic season came under Mumbai and Punjab Kings captain Shreyas Iyer. The youngster sang high praise for his captain and lauded his support and backing in the team.

"Shreyas Iyer is a very chill captain. He was very supportive of me as I directly played in the Syed Mushtaq Ali quarter-final against Vidarbha and bowled the first over for Mumbai. He showed a lot of confidence in me, and he knows how to get a performance from a player. He is a very good human being too," the Mumbai spinner said.

With experienced Shardul Thakur as Eagle Thane Strikers' icon player, Ankolekar is happy to have him on the side, who possesses a wicket-taking mentality.

"Shardul Thakur's experience will be valuable for us in the tournament as he has dominated wherever he has played. He is very confident in his game, whether batting or bowling, which will be very crucial for the team, including me. He is an aggressive captain; he is a wicket-taking captain, and it will be amazing to play with him.

Ankolekar termed veteran all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja as his favourite left-arm spinner in modern-day cricket. "My idol is Jadeja as he is involved in all three departments of the game. I feel good to see him as an idol."

With performance on mind, Ankolekar is eyeing the T20 Mumbai League as a platform to knock on other doors, including the Indian Premier League, after being unsold in the last auction.

"This tournament will be very valuable for Mumbai players, as many players from different state leagues have been selected in the IPL. Keeping that thing in mind, every player has an opportunity to scale new heights through this platform.

"I don't have any personal milestones and want to contribute to the team's winning cause. I will give my best in all three departments of the game and back my process," he signed off.

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