The making of Danish Malewar: Vidarbha’s prolific batter with an IPL dream

Danish Malewar celebrates his century for Vidarbha in the 2024-25 Ranji Trophy final against Kerala. | Photo Credit: Nirmal Harindran

The night before an important Under-13 club final, Nitin Gawande and the Citi Gymkhana Cricket Club had resigned themselves to being without their star batter, Danish Malewar. The then 12-year-old was away at a VCA U-14 tournament and would return to Nagpur only at 2 a.m..

Then came a phone call that surprised Gawande. Malewar wanted to play.

“He reached Nagpur at 2 a.m., got home at 3 a.m., then slept from 3 to 6. By 7 a.m. he was at the ground. We ended up batting first, so he said he would bat two-down, wore his pads and went back to sleep. We were two down within 10 overs, so I woke him up. He splashed some water on his face, went out to bat and scored 140 not out!” Gawande recalled.

Today, a board outside the Citi Gymkhana Cricket Club features two faces: Malewar in his Mumbai Indians jersey and Virat Kohli. For a boy who once put on his pads and went back to sleep while waiting for his turn to bat, it has been quite a journey.

Danish Malewar shares space with Virat Kohli on a hoarding outside his childhood club. | Photo Credit: Aditya Padinjat

The hunger to bat

Malewar’s appetite for batting has remained undiminished. Perhaps nowhere was it more evident than in the 2024-25 Ranji Trophy final against Kerala.

Walking in at 11 for two on the first morning, with Vidarbha soon slipping to 24 for three and MD Nidheesh finding his rhythm, Malewar spent 89 overs at the crease, scoring 153 off 215 balls to put his team on course for its third Ranji Trophy title.

“Scoring a century in a final is a special feeling,” Malewar reminisced to Sportstar. “To do it in front of such a big crowd, against such a strong team, is just special.”

The desire to bat for as long as possible was ingrained in him from a young age.

“When Danish came to me for the first time with his father, he was very young, around six years old. At that time we didn’t even take six-year-olds,” remembered Gawande. “I asked him how he would play because he was so small, but he said, ‘ nahi, mujhe cricket hi khelna hai’.”

Malewar’s placid temperament was one of his biggest strengths from a young age. “He has had a very calm attitude since he was child, always very focussed. He would go about his work and do whatever he was told properly, and if he made a mistake he would come and ask what to do. The qualities of a good batsman were inbuilt in him from the beginning,” he explained.

Perhaps the only trait that hasn’t stayed with Malewar since childhood is his leg-spin, much to his coach’s chagrin.

“He used to bowl excellent leg-spin. I don’t know why he stopped bowling, otherwise he could have been a proper all-rounder!,” he said with a rueful smile.

Time to get set

What immediately stands out about the 23-year-old is the range and elegance of his strokeplay. His straight drive, his self-professed favourite stroke, is particularly pleasing to watch against the quicks. He is equally adept at driving and flicking them with aplomb, while his sweeps and ability to use his feet stand out against spin.

“Initially, I’ll always try to take my time, but once I’m set I always try to keep the runs coming. I like to ensure the runs are coming after I’m set,” Malewar explained of his mindset.

Gawande sees this ability to build an innings as one of his biggest strengths. “He knows how to stay at the wicket and carry the game. Once he has played 20-25 balls, he plays long. If you want to get him out, you have to do it in the first 15-25 balls, after that he just doesn’t get out.”

A stellar debut season

Having been a prolific run-scorer in age-group cricket, Malewar was quickly in line for his First-Class debut at the start of the 2024-25 Ranji Trophy season. The opportunity came three days after his 21st birthday, against Andhra in Nagpur.

“I was told the day before the match that I was playing, and for that day I was quite nervous about making my Ranji debut,” he remembered. “I had just come from the U-23 team, and even though I had played trial matches with the senior team before I was still pretty nervous.”

His first innings lasted just 21 balls and yielded eight runs. He found his rhythm in the second innings, however, notching his maiden half-century at the First-Class level.

“Once I had scored that fifty, I got a lot more confidence,” he said. “Whatever nerves I had in the first innings were all gone. After that second innings everything became normal.”

That maiden half-century proved to be a turning point. Back-to-back fifties followed in his next two games before he finally reached three figures against Gujarat. The shot that took him to the milestone, a loft over mid-on against left-arm spinner Vishal Jayswal, remains clear in his mind.

“I was on 99 (98) and they had brought up all the fielders because they knew I was close to the century. I knew that I was going to step out and hit over the top, and luckily the shot went over.”

“The first is always special. Even today when I think about it I feel good,” he mused. “Luckily it was in Jamtha (VCA Jamtha Stadium in Nagpur). Jamtha mein ek alag hi feeling aati hai.”

Malewar maintained his prolific run through the competition, producing some of his best performances when it mattered most. In the semifinal against Mumbai, he top-scored in the first innings to help Vidarbha post a sizeable total before scoring a century in the final against Kerala.

“I was out for 79 in the semifinal against Mumbai, if I had converted that to a hundred it would have been a really special innings for me. To score against a team like Mumbai on that stage, if you can convert it’s very special.

Even in the final, I scored 153 in the first innings and then 73 in the second, so those knockouts were truly special for me. I really enjoyed scoring those runs in a big final.”

Soon after whipping Aditya Sarvate through midwicket to reach his century in the final, Malewar raised his hands towards his ears, as if to block out the noise. The gesture was a tribute to KL Rahul, one of his inspirations alongside Sachin Tendulkar, AB de Villiers and Virat Kohli.

“I like his style of batting, and even outside of cricket he is very humble,” Malewar said of Rahul’s influence. “Even the way he wears his clothes, I like a lot about what he does both on and off the field.”

Malewar finished the season with 774 runs at an average of 52.20. That average rose further after he scored his maiden double-century in the quarterfinals of the Duleep Trophy for West Zone against NorthEast Zone. He then added two more fifties in the semifinal and final on the way to winning the competition.

“During the season, I felt that I can compete at the India level. The Ranji Trophy is just a step away from India, so I got the belief that I can make that extra one or two steps. I also got a lot of understanding about preparation, and had the special memory of winning the final,” he reflected on that season.

The Ranji Trophy has provided Malewar with a platform to showcase his batting credentials. | Photo Credit: VCA

IPL call-up

Unfortunately, Malewar managed only two appearances in the 2025-26 season, missing most of the campaign with a shoulder injury. However, the disappointment was tempered by the excitement of being picked by Mumbai Indians in the IPL 2026 player auction in November 2025.

Malewar had attended trials with the franchise, but his selection was still something of a surprise, considering he was yet to make a white-ball appearance for Vidarbha. When auction day arrived, he chose to follow the proceedings away from the rest of his family.

“I wasn’t at home. I had left intentionally, because I didn’t know if any team would pick me or not. So I took my iPad and watched it outside in the car. My name came only in the evening, but when MI picked me up everything changed.

I was getting calls from everywhere, so I had to go back home. A lot of people had gathered there before I even left, so when I got back everyone was dancing and congratulating me. It was a special night.”

Alongside the Vidarbha Cricket Association, MI shared responsibility for Malewar’s recovery and rehabilitation during its camp. The tournament also gave him an opportunity to work alongside some of the biggest names in cricket, both among the players and the coaching staff. It was an experience that gave him plenty to take away.

“There are so many big names. [Kieron] Pollard sir, [Mahela] Jayawardene sir, Sachin sir, all of the coaches and staff groomed me so well. They helped me understand what is needed at this level, and I was able to learn so much by watching them.

What happens on a big platform, how to plan, how to prepare, all of these things were new for me. I learned a lot in those two months, now I have an idea about what happens on an international level,” he said.

It also gave him the opportunity to share a dressing room with his childhood idol, Tendulkar. “I met Sachin sir for the first time, I had never met him before that. I got to tell him that he was my idol, that I had been following him since childhood,” he remembered.

With MI’s batting order in a tricky situation, Malewar made two appearances for the side, opening the batting against Gujarat Titans and Chennai Super Kings. Although neither outing was particularly successful (he scored two and zero), both offered valuable learning opportunities.

“I was so nervous before the first match (against Gujarat Titans). It was my first time on such a big stage, in front of so many people. It was another level of experience, a learning process.

“In the first match, I couldn’t process everything on such a big platform against such big bowlers. By the second match I had become normal, but unfortunately I got out first ball,” he recalled.

Staying in the present

With his injury behind him and an IPL cap to his name, Malewar is now enjoying his first sustained run of red-ball cricket since recovering. After a couple of indifferent scores, he registered his first half-century against Goa. For now, however, his focus remains firmly on the present.

“The season has just started, but I’m trying to focus on each match, each innings. Whatever has happened in the past, where I’ve scored runs or not, whether I’ve got out or not, doesn’t matter. What matters is how I prepare for the upcoming matches.

“I’m trying to stay in the moment, but keep an eye on the future. I don’t want to have any regrets for the season. With a lot of matches coming up, I’m going to need to be prepared.”