Competition is tough. You can be the leader of your state team; become the highest run getter of domestic season for your team and become as promising and talented as you can be in your prime.
Like in the case of Abhinav Mukund.
He understands all of these factors do not guarantee success at the international level. The reason is simple as well as complex at the same time – competition from well-placed candidates.
Mukund has been striving hard to keep his place in the Test team but in the presence of the likes of Shikhar Dhawan and his state mate Murali Vijay. To make things trickier, he has the well –established Rohit Sharma and upcoming talent KL Rahul for competition for the same spot.
“More mature and experienced now”
The 27-year-old may not have gained any kind of instant success but surely has learned few valuable lesson with his stints for the Indian team.
“I didn’t have any number in mind. I always had the confidence to score at the international arena. I was focused on the task at hand. I wanted to capitalize in the second innings. I was disappointed not to get a hundred but it felt good to spend some time in the middle at the top level,” in an interview to TOI, Mukund, who has who has 26 hundreds and 31 fifties in first-class cricket.
Despite all the competition, he managed a comeback and ensured to leave a mark behind with a composed 81 in the second innings of the first Test against Sri Lanka in Galle. The opportunity feels into his lap after Vijay failed to recover entirely from the wrist injury and KL Rahul picked up flu after arriving in Sri Lanka.
But, once, Rahul was fit-again for the second Test, Mukund had to politely make way for him.
“Obviously, it was disappointing to miss out. But the current Indian team is such that you have to make way for the regulars. There were players who sat out even after scoring a 300 (Karun Nair); that’s how the team is and that’s why we are the No. 1 side in the world. I understood it. Kohli and Shastri said they loved my commitment and were pleased with my efforts on the field and with the bat. I know I will get my opportunity again.”
“Competition not new for me”
Mukund isn’t bogged down by the competition from the regular names. Making way for a “returning:” Murali Vijay or KL Rahul isn’t something to bother about according to him. He feels that there is no reason to worry until and unless he is performing at the domestic level.
“It’s not a new thing for me to go back to domestic cricket, score heavily and come back. I’m all set for the season ahead. Whatever opportunities I get, I want to do well. It’s not like I was dropped because of bad performance.”
“It’s just that I had to make way for a regular. I think people in the team have an idea of what I can do now. That’s a good place to be in. I should take it forward from this and keep scoring runs so that I am always in the reckoning.”