IPL 2022: Every young cricketer dreams of playing in the same team as Virat Kohli, says RCB's Rs 3.4 crore recruit Anuj Rawat

Anuj Rawat, was glued to the television screen at his rented apartment in Janak Puri (in Delhi) when the IPL 2022 auction began. When his name was called by the auctioneer, Anuj was confident that he would be bought by some team or the other, but what he wasn't expecting was to become a millionaire. Anuj, who played for the Rajasthan Royals last season (in 2021), was bought by the Royal Challengers Bangalore for a whopping Rs. 3.40 crore. His base price was Rs 20 lakh. "I was expecting a good IPL deal because of my good performances in domestic cricket. I was expecting a deal for a decent amount, but I wasn't expecting this high a bid for me. (laughs). I am really happy and I am looking forward to playing for RCB and giving my 100 percent," Anuj, who scored 167 runs in 5 Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 matches last season, at an average of 33.40, told TimesofIndia.com in an exclusive interview.

"The experience at RR was amazing. The exposure I got at RR helped me in my domestic season. The experience helped me a lot in raising my game. I am becoming more and more confident now. I learnt a lot at the RR camp. The coaches, the management, Jos (Buttler), and Sanju bhai helped me a lot. I could reach Jos and Sanju bhai any time. They both have amazing skills and are brilliant human beings," Rawat further said. ANUJ'S JOURNEY - FROM RAMNAGAR TO AN IPL CONTRACTHailing originally from Ramnagar in Nainital, Uttarakhand, Anuj came to Delhi in 2011. The dream was to become a cricketer. With not many cricketing facilities available in Uttarakhand at that time, Anuj’s father Virendra Pal Singh Rawat, who always wanted his son to become a wicket-keeper batsman, sent him to Delhi. Anuj cleared the trials and made it to the Delhi junior team. He