Straight drive

IPL 2017 was an exciting ride for Mayank, who was part of Rising Pune Supergiants, which reached the finals, but lost to Mumbai Indians by a whisker. “I’ve had my share of IPL heartbreaks. This time, we lost the finals. When I played for RCB, we lost the Champions League final and IPL final to Chennai! But I really enjoyed my 64 against Mumbai when I was with RCB,” says the batsman, who calls it an incredible experience to share the dressing room with players like MS Dhoni, Steve Smith and Ben Stokes.

Ask him about India’s former Captain Cool Dhoni and he instantly says, “What I love about him is that he’s very open. He’s so friendly and willing to help. You can go to his room whenever you want and ask him about cricket. He’s always there for you and is a terrific leader. My questions for him were mainly about how differently he lead the game and understood the situation.” The B’luru boy also went on to make friends with foreign players like Usman Khawaja and Imran Tahir.

A major travel buff, this batter loves exploring different cultures. “I don’t mind living off a suitcase and could even stay in a tent — I’d do anything to get close to Mother Nature,” says the 26-year-old, who travelled to Turkey and Greece recently. “Last year, I went to USA and even took a cruise to Alaska. Hopefully, I can go to New Zealand soon and indulge in a lot of sport. Also, watching the Aurora lights is on my wish-list,” reveals Mayank, who also enjoys going for dinners and movies with his family.

Interestingly, he’s also a football aficionado who plays for a team called the ‘Dark Knights’ comprising his cricket buddies. “We have players like Manish Pandey, Abhimanyu Mithun and KL Rahul in the squad,” shares the sports fan, who enjoys the competition with Spartans FC, another footie team formed by our state cricketers. “I love watching the EPL, I’m an Arsenal fan,” he states.

As for his good pal KL Rahul, who’s shining in the national squad, he says, “It’s a tremendous feeling to watch him play and see his consistency. It’s really nice to know that one of our own is there and doing well. I wish he stays there as long as he can.”