Follow Us“There’s a thin line between fearless and careless.”
Among the many statements Atharva Ankolekar made during the entire conversation, one line stood out, and it best defined the 24-year-old all-rounder’s journey. Shortly after he was born, his father, Vinod Ankolekar, placed a bat next to him, a symbolic gesture.
Through his journey to become a top-level cricketer, Atharva witnessed his father’s struggles, his mother’s steadfast support, and his brother Parth’s early cricketing steps.
All of those emotions and his cricketing journey flashed briefly in front of him when the Eagle Thane Strikers placed their trust, with an INR 16.25 lakh bid. While to the outside world, that sum might look minuscule before the Indian Premier League (IPL) bids, it is a life-changing moment for the Ankolekar household.
“For somebody who has seen so many struggles, there is a lot of value in money,” Atharva said in an exclusive conversation during T20 Mumbai 2025.
That bid is not a reassurance for Atharva to pursue his dream; it is a sum that repays all the trust, hard work and dedication his parents put into the 24-year-old to achieve his cricketing dreams. His father, Vinod, was a long-standing employee in the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport Undertaking (BEST), where he worked in the electricity division.
His mother, Vaidehi, not only helped him during the early stages of his cricketing career but also turned a breadwinner following her husband's death, working in the same organisation as a bus conductor.
“Now it's time for her to reap the rewards. I am feeling really good now. The important thing about the money is that it makes the family feel a little more secure, and once the family feels secure, there’s less mental pressure,” he added.
“You don’t have to worry about the family, and there are no constant thoughts of ‘What to do’.”
But never during this entire struggle had Atharva wanted to quit cricket.
“No, I have to play cricket for my father. I have to play for India, that’s my goal. I have never had the intention to quit the sport, and when my dad passed away, my mom motivated me further and never made me feel that I should quit the sport.
“I think my dad is still with me, and all my success is purely because of him and his vision. I feel good about my own game now, and I just want to follow the same path and become a better cricketer,” he added.
These emotions have shaped a young Atharva as he has grown up in the cricketing world, one step at a time. Like most youngsters in the country, Atharva started as a batter before he took up left-arm spin.
It wasn’t until 2020, when the 19-year-old spinner struck four times and made headlines, taking the India U-19 side to the final, where they eventually lost against Bangladesh.
It is no surprise that the left-arm spinner has Jadeja as his idol.
“[Ravindra] Jadeja is my idol. His batting Aand bowling are world No. 1. His intensity and involvement in the field are huge, and that’s what I have tried to learn. Even on his off days with bat and ball, he makes it up with his fielding. You can learn a lot from just noticing his game.”
But there’s something which distinguishes the left-arm spinner from all the others: his ability to ace batters in the powerplay, where he has maintained an economy of 6.1 in the 2024 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy season, in contrast to the 8.76 mean ER in the tournament.
The left-arm spinner finished the season with four crucial wickets for Mumbai, removing the likes of Atharva Taide and Karun Nair and averaging 19. So, how does he go about things?
“It's a bit of both - visualisation and practice,” he noted.
“Before the match, I see videos of the batsmen and the strokes which they play in the powerplay. We then look at the shots that they play post the powerplay, and practise accordingly.”
That’s where he thinks as a batter, and most often than not, tries to outfox them.
“I always think one step ahead of the batsman. I don't think about what to do after the 6th or 7th. God has given me the ability to read the batsman. I believe that I will always back my bowling in any given situation.”
Not to forget that Atharva had more than a job with the bat during the Vijay Hazare Trophy, where he was tasked with the responsibility of bailing a star-studded Mumbai batting out of trouble many times. The left-hander smashed 130 runs across five appearances in the competition, averaging 32.5 with the bat, with a high score of 66 in the clash against Punjab.
On two occasions, when he was out there with his skipper, Shreyas Iyer, he learnt the most valuable lesson in cricket: “It's important to be fearless in modern-day cricket. But there is a thin line between fearless and careless, and you have to be careful.”
It is no surprise that you see glimpses of Iyer’s captaincy manual when Atharva has led his troops out in the T20 Mumbai for Eagle Thane Strikers.
“He is an aggressive captain. It was fun with him. He is very chill. He doesn't get under pressure easily. He is a bowler's captain. He will give the field to the bowler and not keep his field. Iyer is quite a chill character and is very approachable.”
In Shardul Thakur’s absence, Atharva has done more than a captain’s job, leading the team to the semi-final in his first-ever T20 Mumbai appearance, winning three out of the four possible games. However, the tournament has a larger motive for Atharva and the other talented youngsters - an audition for IPL 2026.
“Ahead of the season, there are no expectations per se, but the responsibility has increased. I have seen how tense the matches have been played. There’s a lot of talent in Mumbai cricket, and everyone will see those talents through the tournament. So, like all the other leagues - UPT20 and DPL - T20 Mumbai is a stepping stone for us, and I hope we can improve the standards of cricket.”
What’s that one message Atharva would give to the budding cricketers in Mumbai?
“There are no shortcuts, you have to believe in hard work, the more you practice, the more hard you work, the more you will get the result, you have to do hard work, but you have to do smart work along with hard work, it is not that you keep doing it, you should know when to stop and when not to stop, so just keep doing your process, keep working hard, everything will come in your favour.”