The unbeaten 53 at No.8 against Baroda in Cuttack on his first-class debut two years ago did suggest a bright future for young Abishek Porel. Bengal needed a daunting 350 for victory in the fourth innings, and Porel and Shahbaz Ahmed stitched together an unbroken 108-run stand to take them home.
Porel has since gone on to become a vital cog for Bengal across formats. But for a youngster like him trying to make a mark among stalwarts of international cricket, an impressive showing in the IPL was necessary.
His debut IPL season in 2023 was just about four matches. But this year, with 267 runs at an average of 33.37 and a strike rate of 157.98, the 21-year-old keeper-batter has certainly proved his mettle. Importantly, most of his runs have come either as an opener or at No.3.
Behind these impressive numbers, the kind of preparation Porel underwent with Bengal chief coach Laxmi Ratan Shukla earlier in the season also seems to have played a role. During Bengal's training sessions, Shukla, from close distance, used to throw above waist-height balls to Porel and the left-hander had to pull them all.
"It appears that practice has benefited him. Besides, I had spoken to Sourav Ganguly (Capitals' director of cricket) earlier about Abhishek's need to play as an opener. We made him open in national T20s and one-dayers, and he did well," Shukla said.
Greater consistency will earn Porel his maiden India A berth, but for now he's finally trying to make a statement.
