Gurugram, May 16 -- Rising Haryana cricketer Abhiraj Vashisht, who tore apart bowling attacks in the Vijay Merchant Trophy held earlier this year, spoke on being inspired by Indian batting icon Virat Kohli and his ambitions for the future.

Abhiraj, aged 16, emerged as the top run-getter in the country's premier under-16 red-ball tournament, with 918 runs in eight matches and 10 innings at an average of 91.80, including four centuries and four fifties. Haryana ended up as the semifinalists.

On his performances this season, Abhiraj told ANI that in particular, he is happy to have scored the runs when his team needed them.

"It was a very good season for me. Throughout the tournament, I scored plenty of runs for my team. The most important...