Mayank Agarwal’s Mumbai knock strengthens his opening aspirations
Life and cricket work in mysterious ways. Ask Mayank Agarwal. Adjudged as the Player of the Match in the Mumbai Test, there were doubts over his place before the game began. With India facing selection conundrums, Agarwal was one of the dispensable options. The opener was well aware of the fact. And he responded in the fashion champions do. The knocks on 150 and 62 in a Test where the opposition team scored 62 and 167 speaks volumes.
Blunting the Black Caps
India opted to bat first at the Wankhede Stadium. Agarwal had no option but to confront the duo that had accounted for him in the Kanpur Test. Kyle Jamieson and Tim Southee had him caught behind while allowing him to score only 13 and 17. Also, the manner of dismissals of alarming. The opener was only planting the heel of his front foot and was not able to transfer his weight fully by the time the ball reached him.
In the post-match interview, Agarwal addressed the issue and revealed that he had not made any technical changes.
“I didn’t think of that [his front foot fault]. Mid-series you don’t want to be thinking about technique. That’s something that even Rahul bhai spoke to me about. He said don’t worry about your technique. Just rely on your game plans. That’s something I did. This innings was all about grit and determination, and nothing related to technique,” said Agarwal.
The numbers reflect Agarwal’s patience against Southee-Jamieson. In the first innings, they threw down 99 balls at him and he managed to score 36 runs without giving his wicket away. Albeit, the Kiwi seamers were not the force in Mumbai as they were in Kanpur.
The most lethal bowler for New Zealand in the first innings was Ajaz Patel and Agarwal handled him in an aggressive manner. The 30-year old was not afraid of dancing down the track to the left-arm spinner. Patel ended up bowling 134 balls at the opener in the first innings and Agarwal collected 64 runs off them with the help of 6 fours and 3 sixes. The batter scored at a strike rate of around 70 against the lesser threatening Rachin Ravindra (11 runs off 15 balls) and William Somerville (30 runs from 43 balls).
That moment when @mayankcricket got to his 4th Test Century 👏👏
Live – https://t.co/KYV5Z1jAEM #INDvNZ @Paytm pic.twitter.com/GFXapG6GQo
— BCCI (@BCCI) December 3, 2021
When Agarwal drove Daryl Mitchell’s first ball of the match for a boundary through covers, his joy was evident. He immediately raised his arms in the anticipation of the milestone. As the ball crossed boundary ropes, Mayank leapt in the air, let out a loud cry and punched in the air. The innings was a testament to his grit and perseverance. Piling up the runs for his side, the opener raced to 150, the third of his budding Test career. The value of his innings can be easily gauged by the fact that India’s score was 291/6 when he brought up his individual 150.
In the second innings, Agarwal batted with renewed freedom and confidence. His charming 62 included 9 fours and a towering six. Taking risks against spinners, Agarwal eventually handed a high catch off Patel’s bowling but he had done enough for his cause. In a Test where a spinner had taken all 10 wickets to fall in an innings, it was India’s opener who walked away with the Player of the Match Award.
Competing for the top spot
India’s overflowing batting riches mean that Agarwal’s opening spot is still not guaranteed to him for the South African Tests. But his match performance puts him at the forefront of the pecking order. With Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul and Shubman Gill in the race for the top spot, Mayank has presented his case with great conviction.
When Agarwal went to his head coach Rahul Dravid for advice, the veteran said, “Just control what is in your hands. You have this opportunity, go out there, give your best, and that’s all we ask of you. And when you get set, make it big!”
Agarwal ended up doing all that Rahul Dravid asked for. It is now up to the uncontrollable factors of cricket and life to play their part.
