It was an innings of 55 off 174 deliveries against a Karnataka attack that included Prasidh Krishna, Vijayakumar Vyshak, Vidhyadhar Patil and Shreyas Gopal that made the selectors and those at the Centre of Excellence notice Lakshya Raichandani. Yet to turn 18 or part of India Under-19 team, Uttarakhand had fast-tracked the tall batsman into the Ranji set up last season. In five innings he would score 223 runs at an average of 44.60, hitting three fifties including the knock that made heads turn in the Ranji Trophy semi-finals against Karnataka.That looks like a long time ago now. Since then, the 18-year-old’s stocks have risen. Spin-friendly conditions, green top, flat deck – Raichandani has scored everywhere. When the junior selectors started to assemble a squad for the next Under-19 World Cup cycle, Raichandani happened to be among the first names in the team list. After starting off on an impressive note in the Youth one-dayers in Sri Lanka, he scored 207 off 324 deliveries in the first Youth Test and then followed up with an unbeaten 100. Then in September against Australia Under-19, he hit 240 off 281 deliveries to go with a century in one-dayers, showing his remarkable consistency.It has taken Raichandani only a season to show why he is amongst the best young batsmen in Indian cricket. In an era where batsmen have picked up the habit of scoring at a brisk pace, the junior selectors believe Raichandani has the skills and temperament to bat for hours, a rarity these days. In age-group levels, he has shown he can bat for a day and a half and bat in different tempos. Adaptability and adjusting to different conditions perhaps runs in his genes, for his grandfather Tulsidas happened to move to UP after partition.As Uttarakhand are building a platform that would make them a force in red-ball cricket, it is Raichandani, born in Barabanki in Uttar Pradesh, that they are leaning onto. “To be honest, there is no pressure. I’m just starting off and all the seniors are giving me the space. If I talk about my game, I want to stay at the same level mentally. Whether I score a run or not, I want to be emotionally stable. If I can manage to do that then I can bring consistency to my game. Whichever level you play, the game remains the same. Your task as a batsman remains the same,” Raichandani tells The Indian Express on the eve of Uttarakhand’s second round Ranji fixture against Tamil Nadu at the MA Chidambaram Stadium.For Raichandani, cricket happened after he joined a boarding school in Rudrapur, Uttarakhand. “I was too pampered at home. So my father thought it would be better off I stayed in a hostel and when I moved to Rudrapur, cricket became everything. You know how hostel life is, a bit of ragging here and there and since I scored runs, not many used to trouble me and I made friends easily. Since 10, cricket has been a constant in my life. My father had no idea about it, but very soon I started attending trials,” Raichandani says.At the age-group levels, Raichandani’s climb has been steady. During the 2023-24 Vijay Merchant Under-16 tournament, he racked up 833 runs in seven innings at an average of 138.33, and walked away with the Jagmohan Dalmiya Award. Those runs got him into the state Under-19 team before being fast-tracked into the Ranji team last year. “My goal has always been to play at the highest level. Since I don’t have many distractions, I look after myself well. I might be playing for a small team, but at this level all of us are the same. I don’t find any difference. Whichever team I’ve been part of, I’ve been the youngest. So whenever there is an opportunity I pick the seniors’ brains,” he says.While Raichandani might still be part of India’s Under-19 set-up going forward, he is already eying the top-level cricket, with most of his preparation going into it. With a calm demeanor, it isn’t surprising that he idolizes England great Joe Root. “The biggest shift I see will be mental. At the senior level, you would only get to see mature players, so when I transition into that level, I’ll have to be on the same level. You have to be clear in your mind about the decisions you make. If your mind is cluttered then you would obviously make mistakes. Which is why I’ve added meditation to my routine,” Raichandani says.Story continues below this adHaving shuffled between formats in the recent weeks, he spent an additional few hours over the last couple of days in Chennai, just to find his tempo. But beyond that, the 18-year-old doesn’t prefer to complicate his game in trying to adjust to different formats. “Personally, I don’t do much. For me, it is just simple. When I’m playing white-ball cricket, my bat lift is high and when it is red-ball, it will automatically come down,” he says pointing to the bat that is now positioned a bit lower to his hip. “If your adjustment is minimal, then it takes less time to adjust isn’t it?”