Haikyu and Ben Stokes: Why Karnataka all-rounder Manvanth Kumar is turning heads

The 22-year-old has made a name for himself in T20 cricket but is now making his mark in the Ranji Trophy as well.

For moments when he needs motivation, Manvanth Kumar turns to Haikyu!!, a Japanese anime series centred around volleyball and the determination of its young protagonist, Shoyo Hinata.

Manvanth Kumar celebrates his century vs Assam in the Ranji Trophy (PTI)

When the 22-year-old seam-bowling all-rounder from Karnataka needs to gear up for a match. There is another ritual. He listens to the Hanuman Chalisa.

Both, in their own ways, help him find his rhythm. Having spent much of his young career making a name for himself in T20 cricket, he has now emerged as one of Karnataka’s most promising seam-bowling all-rounders in his debut Ranji Trophy season.

Two centuries and a fifty with the bat – overall 374 runs in four matches – alongside a five-wicket haul, have given his career a new dimension.

Manvanth was preparing for the Col C K Nayudu Under-23 Trophy, having missed out on Karnataka’s Ranji probables. His immediate reaction was to perform well enough at that level to earn a senior call-up. Instead, he woke up one morning to find that his name had made it into the Ranji squad.

“I was asleep. After I woke up, my family told me that I was in the Ranji squad. Initially, I was surprised, but it took me just two seconds to get hold of it,” he told HT.

Manvanth began as a top-order batter but admitted that he had been spending time trying to mould himself into a more conventional accumulator.

Karnataka coach R Vinay Kumar and teammates, however, kept reminding him that it was not his natural game. Vinay, who has known him through the Hubli Tigers set-up at the Maharaja Trophy for four years, encouraged him to trust his instincts and attack deliveries in his hitting arc from the first ball.

“They would say, ‘You don’t play defence. If you play defence, you’ll get out.’ They said that’s not your game; this is your game,” he added.

Interestingly, Manvanth's most enjoyable batting experience came in a partnership with Abhilash Shetty, when the two put together an impressive 146-run stand for the ninth wicket in the first innings against Saurashtra.

Whenever Shetty got the strike, he would say “Main bhi lagata hu thoda (let me have a go too).. I would tell him, ‘No, no, please. Aur thodi der (some more time). Let’s play for five hours. You can play this over, I’ll hit in the next one, and then you can play again.’ We kept pushing each other for almost 200 balls. It was a lot of fun batting with him,” he said.

The match finished in a draw and the innings offered a glimpse of a young cricketer learning to balance his attacking instincts with the demands of longer-format cricket. His evolution as a bowler has been just as interesting.

A seven-wicket haul in zonal cricket made him recognise the possibilities of developing his bowling. Managing both responsibilities at the top of the order became difficult, and he gradually moved down the batting order. T20 cricket subsequently helped him discover that he is good with developing variations.

The knuckleball, in particular, came naturally. He worked with Vinay on slower bouncers and yorkers, recognising that the ability to deceive batters would be crucial in the shortest format.

The transition between formats, he insisted, is less about changing his attacking intent with the bat and more about adapting his bowling. In red-ball cricket, that means looking for swing and hitting the deck; in T20s, it is about using variations and adjusting lengths to the conditions.

“Wide yorkers and regular yorkers are a few of the variations I learned from him,” added Manvanth.

There is also an awareness that his 6 ft 2 frame brings its own demands. Having moved from Mysuru to Bengaluru in February earlier this year, he is now closer to better training facilities and works particularly on strengthening his lower back and hamstrings to manage the physical demands of fast bowling.

Away from cricket, he is rather uncomplicated. He identifies as a foodie, particularly when it comes to chaats.

“Whenever I go to a buffet or dinner, there will be a few plates of dahi puri or bhel puri on my table. My teammates will say, "If you want chaats or anything, just go there. Manvanth will have plenty of chaats on his table. Whatever is available at the buffet, he'll have it. Just go there and you'll know what's good and what's not,” laughed Manvanth.

The move to Bengaluru has also meant living independently for the first time. His father, S Laxmi Kumar, introduced him to the sport having played cricket himself, along with his elder brother Hemanth who also plays cricket.

Manvanth admires former England all-rounder and captain Ben Stokes for his aggression and ability to produce breakthroughs when his team needs them, whether with the bat or ball. He, similarly, hopes to influence a game in more than one way.

The first phase of the Ranji season has provided a glimpse of his all-format potential. The Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, beginning on November 14, offers a different challenge.

Having previously attracted IPL interest for his T20 abilities, including being part of the Delhi Capitals’ set-up in 2024, he now has an opportunity to reinforce those credentials ahead of the auction next month.