'I'm just a middle-class guy trying to make it work,' Abhinav Manohar's story of giving in but not giving up

Abhinav Manohar went from a boy with a clean strike to the man who could well be Karnataka’s answer to their middle-order woes in the shortest format

A 26-year-old aspirant from Bengaluru had resigned to the fact that he was going to be just another cricketer from Karnataka to slip through the cracks. He had little hope, but since he didn’t know any better, he gave himself four more years.

It was then, Abhinav Manohar recollects, that things began to fall in place.

He went from a boy with a clean strike to the man who could well be Karnataka’s answer to their middle-order woes in the shortest format.

He went from not knowing if he was ever going to gain financial independence despite pursuing cricket for over two decades to earning Rs 2.6 crore at the drop of a hammer in the latest edition of the Indian Premier League Auction.

He went from being just another face at the Karnataka Institute of Cricket in Bengaluru to Gujarat Titans’ one of the smart picks for the 15th edition of IPL.

Between the crests and troughs is a stereotypical story of a cricketer waiting his turn to get on the conveyor belt in the hope that someone sees that special something he has always believed in.

“I just wanted an opportunity to show the world what I had been working on for so many years,” Abhinav tells DH.

“I knew early on that I could do something a lot of batters my age couldn’t: hit big sixes. I was able to strike the ball very well. I hope to use that skill to my advantage and make it to the Indian team."

For someone who didn’t think he was going to make the State team until a year ago, the belief is a bit of a stretch, but given the rise in IPL talents garnering national attention, Abhinav’s admission of a revival in hope can’t be snubbed.

After years of plying his wares in the state, Abhinav’s options were drying up, as were his finances. His father was a successful entrepreneur with a shoe store in the heart of the city so money wasn’t a concern until they had to shut the establishment down recently. That’s not to say Abhinav was in a grind so dire he couldn’t enjoy the privilege of pursuing a sport, even if it didn’t pay.

“I decided that if I didn’t make it by 30, I would quit the sport and get into business or the stock market or something,” he reveals. “I hadn’t made the team after so many years of trying so my confidence was low.”

Then came the knock against Saurashtra, and in the four T20s in the 2021 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy he scored 162 runs to get the scouts interested again. A few years ago, he had tried out with the Mumbai Indians but they didn’t take to his skills.

“I think the change happened when I stopped worrying about what would happen and just had fun with my batting,” he reckons not-so-certainly. “…because I was playing without fear, I was able to bat without hesitation. I didn’t have this weight of ‘oh, what if it doesn’t work out’ on me anymore. It would be good if it did, but it was fine if it didn’t because it hadn’t until then.”

“Also, that 70 in my first game allowed me to trust that I belong at a higher level,” he adds.

Contrary to reports since he hit pay dirt, Abhinav has always enjoyed cricket and has always wanted to make a career out of it. Now that the opportunity has arrived, he intends to make the best use of it.

“I am working on a few things, and if the IPL is in Mumbai, it would suit me very well,” he observes. “Actually, no matter where it is, I am going to be ready for the challenge. It’s not an opportunity everyone gets, it’s not an opportunity I got for so long. I will make it count. Also, now that I’m financially stable, I am way more relaxed.”

In the end, he notes, "I’m just a middle-class guy trying to make it work.”

That’s a fine blue-collar attitude to start a new grind with.

Check out the latest videos from DH: