New Delhi, April 28 (IANS) Left-handed wicketkeeper-batter Anuj Rawat is yet to get game time in IPL 2026, but the Gujarat Titans wicketkeeper-batter insists he is ‘100 percent ready’ whenever he’s called to play an IPL game for the 2022 champions and credited the franchise’s rigorous training culture for keeping him sharp.

With GT sitting on eight points and fifth place in the second half of the season, Rawat said the mood inside the camp is anything but subdued. “As you can see, we have eight points and we are almost halfway through the season. So, I think the atmosphere of the team and the way we are going with two points recently, I can see a lot of positivity,” Rawat told IANS in an exclusive conversation on Tuesday.

The call for Rawat being retained by GT support staff led by head coach Ashish Nehra brought immediate reassurance and the happiness of being in the same side for the IPL instead of the possibility of making a fresh start elsewhere.

“There was no specific message like that, but there was a conversation that we will retain you. As soon as our sir’s call and message came, he said that we are retaining you ahead of the auction. So, this was the only conversation.

“Definitely, I was very happy because you will represent that franchise again with which you have already been with for a season. So, I think that thing helps a lot because if you go to a new franchise, then you have to come back to a new setup.

“Everything in it – the coaching staff is different, the environment is different. If you are being retained for the same franchise, then there are a lot of things that are in your favour,” he elaborated.

Delhi-based Rawat, who has 318 runs in 24 IPL games, reserved particular praise for the culture in GT, which stands in contrast with his previous stints in the tournament. “I think when I was in the last franchise, I was in a different room. So, the atmosphere of a dressing room is very much similar. But the GT dressing room environment is very friendly and this is the thing that makes GT different from other franchises,” he said.

One notable thread of continuity from his Rajasthan Royals days has been his association with veteran wicketkeeper-batter Jos Buttler, who now turns out alongside him at GT.

“I was with him when I was in Rajasthan and now I got a chance to play alongside him in GT. So, our bonding from the time at Rajasthan is still very similar. Our bond is very good. You get to learn a lot of things when you practice with him and do wicket keeping drills. He is a legend and there are definitely some small things that you learn from him,” Rawat said.

On the challenge of staying match-ready without regular game time, Rawat acknowledged the mental and physical discipline it demands. “I think this is the most difficult thing if you are not playing and you are in a team setup.

“But I think this is also a specialty of a cricketer – if you are not playing, how do you aim to be complete in your preparation, as whenever you get a chance, you have to be 100 percent ready.

“So, I think it is very important as a cricketer that if you are not getting a chance, you still have to be 100 percent ready and be involved in that setup and aim to be 100 percent ready in your preparation,” he said.

Rawat also reflected on the transition between IPL and domestic cricket, where the real shift is in intensity. “There is not much difference when one goes to domestic cricket after an IPL season. There is a slight difference, but then there is a little more pressure. The atmosphere and pressure that we talk about in cricket, a little bit of difference remains,” he said.

He further stated GT’s training methods had raised his overall game and shaped his approach to playing domestic cricket as well. “On the field, I felt a very vast difference when I came to GT. One thing is that you have to prepare a lot here. In the time I have played in all the franchises, all the practice sessions and preparations here are conducted a lot more and are done little differently too.

“So, I think that reflects in your off-season as well. After that, when you go for the domestic season, I realized this time that the extensive preparation I went through at GT has been very helpful,” Rawat said.

Striking a patient but confident note when asked about excelling if given a chance to play in IPL 2026, especially with Buttler and Kumar Kushagra ahead of him in the pecking order, Rawat made clear that personal ambition comes second to collective success.

“I think as a cricketer, I am 100 percent ready. But it is very important that your team keeps winning, as that will be the most important factor in the competition. If I get the chance, I will be 100 percent ready,” he signed off.

–IANS

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