Over the years, Shane Watson has watched enough IPL careers begin to recognise when a young player possesses something out of the ordinary.
The former Australia all-rounder has shared dressing rooms with some of the game’s biggest stars and also seen raw teenage talent develop into established international cricketers. And in Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Watson believes Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have a player with that kind of rare potential.
The KKR assistant coach said Raghuvanshi reminded him of a young Sanju Samson, whom he first saw as a teenager during their Rajasthan Royals days.
“I’ve been fortunate over the years to see some unbelievably talented young cricketers in the IPL,” Watson told reporters before KKR’s match against RCB on Wednesday.
“I remember seeing Sanju Samson as a 17-year-old and being blown away by his skill level. Angkrish is another one of those players.”
Raghuvanshi first caught attention during KKR’s title-winning IPL 2024 season before becoming one of their more dependable batsman in 2025. He also began IPL 2026 brightly, showing maturity at the top order before going through a quieter run in recent matches.
But Watson believes the 21-year-old’s ceiling remains extremely high because of how advanced his batting already looks at such a young age.
“His skill development at 21 is honestly astonishing. We’ve seen flashes of what he can do, but there’s a lot more to come,” Watson said.
“What stands out is his ability to adapt to different conditions and bowlers while still having a wide range of shot options.”
Watson also revealed that Raghuvanshi had continued to impress him during training sessions, particularly on difficult practice wickets where batting becomes far more demanding.
“Even in training yesterday, on a challenging wicket, some of the things he was doing were ridiculous to watch,” Watson said.
“He’s only going to get better as he learns how to harness all that skill consistently.”
One of the more noticeable developments in Raghuvanshi’s game this season has been his wicketkeeping. Having initially entered the IPL primarily as a batsman, the youngster has gradually started taking on keeping duties for KKR and has looked increasingly assured behind the stumps.
“And now he’s keeping wickets too, which makes it even more impressive because he wasn’t originally a full-time keeper,” he said.
“He’s worked incredibly hard at it and done a brilliant job. The best keepers are the ones you barely notice because everything looks smooth – and he’s done that beautifully.”
Beyond the talent itself, Watson said Raghuvanshi’s eagerness to learn and improve stood out just as much.
“He’s a highly skilled young man, but just as importantly, he’s incredibly eager to learn and improve. As a coach, those are the dream players to work with,” Watson said.
