da brwin： Ankit Bawne is a domestic veteran at 23: talented, consistent across formats, and hardened by early setbacks. Having enjoyed another fruitful Ranji Trophy season, he is confident an India call-up isn’t far away

da lvbet： Arun Venugopal11-Dec-2016Ankit Bawne has had an intriguing career. He made his first-class debut at 15, in 2007-08, and established himself as a regular in the Maharashtra side in three years. Since 2010-11, he has never averaged less than 45 in a Ranji Trophy season. Six days shy of turning 24, Bawne is already some sort of veteran: he has played 68 first-class matches and scored 4663 runs at an average of 52.98, including 15 hundreds. A List A average of 43.08 from 43 games suggests he is not a one-format player.Despite his numbers, Bawne has never been part of India A or IPL squads. He doesn’t deny feeling disappointed but offers a practical alternative to sulking. “There is just one goal – to play for India. Till that time, I have to keep fighting,” he tells ESPNcricinfo at the end of Maharashtra’s Group B match against Assam in Chennai. “I look at it positively because in cricket there is no point in being negative; you only get demotivated.”Five years ago Bawne could have easily become demotivated after making headlines for the wrong reasons. He was removed from the India under-19 squad ahead of a quadrangular tournament in Visakhapatnam after the date of birth in his passport was found to not match the one in his birth certificate and the BCCI’s records. As it didn’t meet the cut-off date for the 2012 Under-19 World Cup, Bawne, who was originally named captain for the quadrangular tournament, was omitted. Unmukt Chand took over the captaincy and went on to win the World Cup, even as Bawne lamented that the agent who had arranged for his passport had mixed up the dates.Bawne does not think the episode hindered his future selections, but admits the controversy was a test of his mental toughness, especially with the odd taunt tossed at him on the field. “You have to endure such stuff. In cricket, there are no easy days,” he says. “The support of my family, the team coach and Ajay [Shirke] sir, our president [of the Maharashtra Cricket Association], was crucial. But, you have to be tough and remain steadfast in your goals. The character I showed at that time has led to where I am now.”The Under-19 was a shortcut for me to the national side, but the ultimate dream is to play for the senior team. I don’t think [my performances are overshadowed by the controversy] because Ranji Trophy is not an under-19 tournament. The selectors have played enough cricket to know that Ranji Trophy performances count as far as selection for Test cricket is concerned. Many players obviously get a chance by virtue of the IPL, but I am not a part of the IPL, so Ranji Trophy is everything to me.”Many quality players in domestic cricket have rued the chance for lesser talents to attract selectors’ attentions with a few good IPL performances. Bawne too says not playing in the IPL is a setback because of the recall value it brings.”It is a little tough at the Ranji Trophy level compared to the IPL; this time there are no [league] matches being broadcast in contrast to the IPL where every match is shown live. (the game spans three hours and there are 14 matches. Even if someone plays two good shots, he gets noticed).”Bawne, however, understands there are many routes to the Indian dressing room, and that batsmen better than him have taken the harder route and succeeded. He derives comfort from how long the likes of Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane had to grind it out in domestic cricket before breaking into the national side. A chat with Virender Sehwag further strengthened his belief that the rigours of the Ranji Trophy would ultimately prove rewarding.”Pujara and Rahane got their chances after scoring about 5000 runs in first-class cricket,” Bawne says. “When you play 60-70 first-class matches and then play Test cricket, you see how these players dominate in international cricket.”During the last season, when we were playing against Haryana, I asked Virender Sehwag sir how I could make the step up to the next level. He told me I was playing well and I will get my chances. It wasn’t like I would be completely ignored.”Bawne knows he has to score at least 700-800 runs every season – his personal target hovers around the 1000-run mark – to be on the selectors’ radar. He is Maharashtra’s leading run-getter this season with 687 runs at an average of 57.25, but will not get any more opportunities to inch towards 1000 runs with his team failing to make the knockouts.The accomplishment of a maiden double-hundred, though, has given him plenty of satisfaction. His 258 came in the course of the second-highest partnership in first-class history in the company of captain Swapnil Gugale in Delhi.”Whatever I have set out to achieve – to score big runs, to remain consistent and average around 50 – I have done that. I wanted to score a double-hundred this time,” he says. “I bat at No.5-6, so I mostly have to score runs with the bowlers for company. Luckily against Mumbai, since Kedar Jadhav was away for the New Zealand [ODI] series, I got to bat at No.4. It was a good wicket and there was a quality opposition in the form of Delhi, so I couldn’t let go of that chance.”Bawne also sees a role-model in India’s limited-overs captain MS Dhoni. In 2014-15, when Bawne hit a dead-end in his limited-overs batting, he decided to re-invent his game. Bawne says he picked up cues from watching Dhoni on TV and applied the knowledge during practice. The results were instant as Bawne scored two hundreds and an unbeaten 78 from four innings in the Vijay Hazare Trophy.”I have been inspired by how he [Dhoni] makes runs in the one-dayers, especially with the lower order, and how he plays percentage cricket,” he says. “I didn’t want to be a one-dimensional player and wanted to average around 45-50 in one-dayers. I was trying to clear the ropes, and focusing on my release shots as well.”Closer home, Bawne has found inspiration in Jadhav, whose recent successes in international cricket, he feels, have provided him and his team-mates a template to follow.”When six-seven players from Mumbai or Delhi used to make it to the Indian team, it became easier for the others to stay under the radar and keep performing,” he says. “I got to know what the path was after seven-eight years of hard-work. Had there been an India player in the side, you would have learnt it in two years.”Now we know the path to succeed – Kedar has scored 1000 runs and progressed. When I talk to Kedar, he says it’s a big deal to have 5000-odd runs at my age and keeps telling me to stick it out.”That would be good advice, especially with the chairman of selectors, MSK Prasad, taking notice of Bawne’s performances. “His records have been good, but this year he has been very consistent,” Prasad tells ESPNcricinfo. “My colleagues have watched him bat this season and I have seen him bat last year. He is a good player.”Bawne feels he is currently in the best form of his life. “This year I am feeling very comfortable,” he says. “I am not trying to take risks and I don’t feel nervous at all.”