Cricketer Prerak Mankad performed a vital role in Saurashtra, deciding their maiden Ranji Trophy title in 2019-20.
The Sirohi-born lad has been a backbone of the team for a long sufficient now and has had the possibility to rub shoulders with some of the game’s stalwarts, including Jaydev Unadkat and Cheteshwar Pujara.
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In a conversation on Social media, Mankad talked about how great it was to have Pujara, a veteran of 95 Tests, and Unadkat in the dressing room during the Ranji Trophy and another
national tournament. He said:
“It’s always great to have him around. Even JD Bhai (Unadkat)…all the senior pros of our Saurashtra team. Even if we are doing well, they still want us to get better at our strengths as well. Whenever we feel that we need to ask anything we can speak to them and they always give us valuable guidance. For bowling, JD Bhai…I always ask him about my bowling and variations, how to bowl in particular phases of the game.”
Mankad also said:
“For batting, I speak to Chetu Bhai (Pujara) a lot on how to approach the game, particularly after I got picked for the IPL. I speak to both of them. Whenever I get an opportunity to be with them, I always feel happy to have them around me.”
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Post the primary stages of the Ranji Trophy, Prerak Mankad represented Punjab Kings in TATA IPL 2022
Mankad experienced performing in the IPL season for the first time this year, having got ready for the Punjab Kings (PBKS) in the just-concluded season.
When questioned if there was anything specific that he worked on during his IPL stint, Mankad answered:
“Not one particular aspect…I have to work more on my bowling and my strength and I also want to get more clear about my batting, and my shot selection. I’m trying to get clearer on whatever I’m doing during training. In my bowling I’m trying to develop more variations, trying to use more angles. And I’m also working on my fitness and strength to get better in all departments.”
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Mankad has been a regular on the national circuit – a fact reiterated by Saurashtra’s Ranji Trophy triumph. What about the pressure of probability, then? How does he deal with them? He clarified:
“I don’t feel pressured by expectations from others. I always want to get better from the last game that I’ve played. Whenever I go onto the field I always strive to get better than how I played the last game. While playing in the IPL there was some pressure but once I got into training I knew that I belong here and I can deliver here.”
Despite modest returns in the primary stage of the Ranji Trophy 2021-22, Mankad delighted in a fruitful national season across the white-ball formats. After compilation 184 runs at a strike rate of 136.29 in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, he secured 376 runs at an average of 94.00 and a strike rate of 114.98 in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, in addition to chipping in with 6-wickets.
Has Mankad hit his apex then? Here’s what he had to state:
“You can say that, but I have to maintain that consistency. If I’ve scored these many runs I need to get better and score as many runs as I can in the next edition and so on. You can say I’m doing well over the last couple of years but I have to be there or thereabouts. I need to perform more like this in the upcoming season as well. You can say this is the starting point of my peak and the credit goes to my state team as well because they gave me the opportunity to bat at No. 4 and higher up the order so that I can get more time during the white ball games. They gave me an opportunity and I’m happy that I delivered for my team and myself as well.”
“I feel fortunate I’ve got this success in a short period” – Prerak Mankad.
Having concentrated his attention on academics for the best part of his childhood, Mankad began playing cricket honestly much later. Questioned if he idolizes anyone as an all-rounder, Mankad said that while he doesn’t do so, he conflicts to be a performer who wins matches for his team. He stated:
“There are a lot of players these days at the international level so there’s no particular player that I idolize as such. Everyone’s doing great and I want to be a player who makes the team win. Being an all-rounder, I always want to deliver in all three departments – batting, bowling, and fielding. I loved playing cricket since childhood but I didn’t start early. I started after Class 12 – I was focused more on my studies during childhood. I got opportunities after 12th and I feel lucky that I’ve got this kind of success at a later stage and in such a short period of time.”
Saurashtra wasn’t capable of qualifying for the knockouts of the Ranji Trophy 2021-22 season and won’t be competent to defend their title. So what’s next for Mankad? He said:
“We’re having the Saurashtra Premier League…I’ll be playing that tournament so I’ll get back to work and get better. I’ll try and repeat what I’ve done in the last couple of seasons. After that let’s see how things go for me.”
Mankad has topped up with Ranji Trophy-winning caption Unadkat in the current Saurashtra Premier League(SPL) as a member of the Gohilwad Gladiators outfit.
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