Angkrish Raghuvanshi returns to the Mumbai squad on the back of scores of 201 and 203 at the under-23 level, having recovered from the finger injury that required surgery during the Indian Premier League.

The wicketkeeper-batter missed Mumbai’s Ranji Trophy opener with Yashasvi Jaiswal available. As Mumbai prepares to face Himachal Pradesh from Sunday, Raghuvanshi will look to build on his recent form.

He scored 422 runs in 13 matches for Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL, finishing as the franchise’s highest run-getter for the second successive season with over 300 runs.

The injury forced him away from cricket, but coach Abhishek Nayar helped him stay connected to the game. “My happy place is when I’m out there on the ground playing or when I’m in the nets batting. Even when I was injured, I was thinking about when I’m going to be back. What are the things I can improve on? What are the things I can do? Those things are driving me,” he told The Hindu.

Nayar kept him engaged through drills that allowed him to work around the injury. “I could still run, I could still focus on visualising my cricket and that’s how I got through it,” Raghuvanshi said.

The break also gave him time with his family, away from the demands of the cricket calendar. With just four first-class appearances since his debut two years ago, Raghuvanshi knows opportunities matter. “I think the injury gave me a bit of clarity. I was just happy to be back there, batting,” he said.