"I had everything to gain and nothing to lose" - Abhinav Manohar on stellar Karnataka debut

November 4th, 2021 - Karnataka were staring down the barrel in a loser-goes-home clash against Saurashtra in the pre-quarterfinal of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2021.

At 34/3 in the 6th over, with seasoned pros Manish Pandey and Karun Nair back in the hut, it seemed like Karnataka's campaign was soon to come to a halt. Not in the eyes of Abhinav Manohar, though.

In walked the tall and well-built lad, seemingly unfazed by the occasion at hand. The 27-year-old was making his much-prolonged Karnataka debut, and in some sense, his call to fame for finishing matches was due to face its big test, a baptism by fire.

Manohar unfurled his power-hitting ability and churned out a knock for the ages, his 49-ball 70* laced with six sixes that eventually took Karnataka over the line. Unsurprisingly enough, he made all the headlines, with some even terming him a 'late bloomer' on social media.

But for those who've followed his pyrotechnics in the domestic circuit and in the Karnataka Premier League (KPL), they'd have known this very opportunity was due for the past many years. That he followed it up with three important knocks, all decorated with the right amount of patience and aggression, meant he had indeed arrived at the right time.

Sportskeeda caught up with the talented batter in an exclusive interview, where he sheds light on the emotions of playing for Karnataka, KL Rahul's influence on him and a potential IPL contract.

Q. After some dominating performances in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, you're getting a lot of attention in recent times. How's the feeling?

It definitely feels good, but I'm not used to it, to be honest. It's been a while, I have been waiting for this opportunity for quite a few years. To break into the Karnataka side is pretty hard because the side is known for its batters and all of them are playing at a very high level.

I was also lucky that this match was aired on TV, I guess the stars were all aligned right on that day and it helped me a lot.

Q. What was your first reaction like when you found out you were going to make your debut?

The previous evening of the match, our coach called me to the room and told me I'd be playing. So I was mentally prepared for that and I was just excited. I had nothing to lose, it was only the start for me. I had everything to gain and thought that I had done well enough, I belong here and I shouldn't feel out of place. The only thing running in my mind was to go out there and play my game.

Q. How much sleep did you get the previous night of the match, with all the nerves ahead of the big day?

I wasn't feeling well during the tournament, I think the Delhi weather got to me. The weather was a bit bad with all the smog and stuff, so I had a cough, cold and some chest congestion.

Q. You battled sickness throughout the tournament?

Yes I was, I barely slept over 4-5 hours each night, not more than that. While the tournament was going on, I was slightly sick too.

Q. Kudos to you for battling through that! Tell me how it was to receive your cap from Manish Pandey though? You mentioned it was a very special moment for you!

I've known Manish since we were about 8-9 years old, we were practicing in the same camp. Right before he made his Under-19 India debut, we were practicing together. We were pretty close back then but once he started playing for the country we drifted apart because he got busy. So now it's good we got back together.

On the morning of the match the manager asked me who I wanted the cap from, and I said I'd like it if Manish could give it to me, I didn't want anyone else to give it to me. So that was what I wanted since the start of the tournament. He said a few things in the huddle which was really nice.

Q. There's a photo of a bulkier version of you as a child which you've labelled 'fatty me', a throwback picture of yours. When you look back at that phase, what changed in your path to picking cricket as a career option?

To be honest, I've wanted to do this all my life. When I started off, I had the talent but I just didn't put in the work, I took it all for granted when I was young. I started working on my fitness when I was about 15-16, that's when I started to gym more often, almost 5 days a week.

That's just been my routine for the past 10-12 years now. I try to go to the gym and be as fit as I can. Being a fat child, to transform has always been there in my mind.

Q. So now you're that person who follows their diet to the 'T'? Or do you allow yourself some wiggle room to indulge in some junk food?

It depends, when I feel fat, I follow a diet (laughs). If I don't feel what, I eat what I like. It does happen, you feel bloated from inside. You might not look fat, but that feeling from inside is there, it's not a good feeling. To get rid of that, I diet for a month or so and once that goes away, then I start eating what I want.

Q. Coming back to the cricket, hitting the ball as far and clean as you do is not a gift in many. Is this 'cultured hitting' something that came to you naturally?

I've always hit the ball well, very honestly. Since 13, I've been playing for the state, and at that age I even hit my first six at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium. So I have been fortunate enough and god has blessed me with that kind of power and hand-eye coordination. I've been hitting the ball since I was a kid, but I think I started using my brain more in the past 3-4 years like learning how to read the situation a lot better.

Prior to that, I would never think about situations, I'd just want to hit sixes and be happy with that. So I've changed that, now I read situations. Playing a lot of corporate and local matches have helped me read situations better and understand how to take the innings through.

Fortunately I haven't had to work much towards my hitting, I've had to work on some finer aspects.

Q. And your special love for smashing spinners out of the park, is that one of the finer aspects?

Oh, not really. Like I said, it did come naturally to me but I do my drills and all that just to get the finer points right. I generally find playing spinners easier, and I've worked on a few shots which have helped me gain an advantage over them. Stepping out and hitting them, or even staying in the crease and hitting the ball over the bowler's head, these are some aspects. I've worked on these a lot in the past 2-3 years so that's helped me take on the bowlers a lot better.

Q. How would you describe yourself as a person off the field? How do you like to unwind?

So I love to go for drives. So when it's offseason, I generally go three times a week, I go to a spot and either go for a sunrise or sunset, where the view is nice basically. It helps me calm down mentally. I like to travel a lot, I’ve traveled a lot in South India. During this lockdown I was fortunate enough to stay in my best friend’s house in Coorg for 45 days, that kind of opened up a different world to me, to have a basic lifestyle of waking up at 6 in the morning and going to bed at 8 at night.

That’s something which I like to do. I like to have that lifestyle once in a while, to disconnect from everybody. I’m also someone who likes to be by myself, I have my first circle, my very close friends, I don’t really like to go outside that. I’m very comfortable in my first circle, even from them I take a break sometimes because I like to be by myself. Whenever I get the chance, I like to enjoy my ‘me time’.

Q. Not a lot of people might know this, but you're a pretty handy leg-spinner. Why haven't we seen you bowl much in recent times?

To be honest, I want to bowl more. I've gone up to Manish and spoken to him about him. But he first asked me to bowl to him in the nets and then he'd take a call, but I haven't got to bowl to him yet. I've always bowled, I'm just waiting for a chance to roll my arm over.

I wanted to get a chance to show them I want to bowl too, I'm pretty confident. I'm a street smart bowler so I know how to bowl to batters who are taking me on.

Q. Karnataka cricket and Rahul Dravid are synonymous for the impact he's had on many cricketers. How has he or someone else in the Karnataka circuit inspired your style of play?

We all look up to Rahul sir because he's done great things for the country. In terms of senior cricketers, I really look up to (KL) Rahul. He was earlier tagged as a Test player only, a slow cricketer. But the way he's adapted his game, playing all three formats and doing well in all of them, that is what I want to do as well.

I don't want to be tagged as only a white-ball player, I want to show that I can play red-ball cricket too, I can play the long innings. That is my next goal. I've spoken to KL Rahul a lot, he was my senior at Jain college, I've spoken to him when I've got the chance.

Over the past 3-4 years he's been busy representing the country so I haven't had the chance to speak much with him. Just seeing his batting, seeing how he approaches his innings and the confidence he carries when he bats is something that inspires me.

Q. Earning a spot in an IPL team is something that every cricketer dreams of in recent years. How much closer do you think you are to pocketing your first IPL contract?

I hope I've done well enough to have people notice my talent and my skill to play at that level. So I'm hoping I get picked in the auction, I have my fingers crossed.

Around 3-4 years back I was called by the Mumbai Indians for a trial, but it wasn't a great one, I didn't do too well. My name was there in the auction but I didn't get picked, I hadn't made my First-Class debut either. They saw me bat in the KPL and called me.

But this year, I hope I've done well enough in the Mushtaq Ali tournament, that should help me get picked up at the IPL auction.

Abhinav Manohar made a telling impact in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy

Q. Do you feel your experience of playing high-voltage T20 cricket in the KPL could come to use in such a scenario?

I think that (KPL) kind of helped me play on the big stage. It started off there, to play under lights, in front of a crowd and handling that pressure. KPL's helped me reach where I am today and helped me get a good start. I know I've been there before and I've played similar kind of bowlers. Playing at that level is not that hard, so it has helped me for sure.

Q. You're now well known for your talent, and people have taken notice of you. How would you look back at your journey so far?

I owe it all to my parents, especially my dad. They have both sacrificed a lot for me. Since I was a kid, my dad has never put pressure on me. He would ask me to just go to school, get that 40% and pass, which was more than enough, he would ask me to focus on playing cricket.

Even after I finished college, there was never any pressure to get a job, or bring money home, or anything like that. He said that he would take care of everything, I only needed to focus on my cricket. He said until I was playing, I had to give it my all, keep fit, use my brain and bat. I had a tendency to throw my wicket away often, so he asked me to focus and follow my dreams.

Q. Now that you've earned a good reputation, what's next for Abhinav Manohar?

I want to be known as an all-round package, someone who can play all three formats. To play for the country is everyone's dream and I hope I get there soon.