Indore: He had to wait for his turn. But when finally given an opportunity as an opener in Test cricket, Mayank Agarwal made the most of it as he now has three centuries in international cricket, two of which are double tons.
Speaking at the end of the day’s play, Agarwal said that not thinking too much about failure and things which aren’t in his control has helped him rise to the challenges he has faced in his career.
“In terms of mindset, the fear of failure and letting go of it helped me change a lot. After that I got hungry for runs. There have been times where I haven’t gotten runs. Every time I get set, I try to make it a point to convert into a big score,” he said.
Commenting on his journey in the national team, Agarwal said that he has had some really special moments so far and cherishes each one of them. “Definitely enjoyed it (about his journey with the Indian team so far). Playing my first game at Melbourne was something special and having contributed to the team’s win and India winning the series Down Under for the first time was a top feeling.
“That’s the feeling that wants me to keep going and everybody else to go out there and win tournaments for the team. It is about playing one ball at a time and keep batting as long as possible.”
Agarwal said that he got a lot of support from Test deputy Ajinkya Rahane as the two shared a quality partnership to break the morale of the Bangladesh bowlers further.
“He’s (Ajinkya Rahane) a senior pro, he’s played a lot of Test cricket and kept guiding me throughout. The plan was to get a small partnership and take our time. Be cautious, then it was about building it more and more,” he explained.
Agarwal said that the wicket has also helped in stroke making. “I back myself and was watching the ball well and picking it. There is bounce on this wicket and there is full value for shots. I went after anything I felt that was in my arc,” he said.
The toil is far from over for the visitors as Agarwal revealed that the team management is yet to discuss about declaring the innings.
“We haven’t talked about it yet (declaration), the way we are going, we are in the driver’s set and will try to put them under a lot of pressure,” he signed off.
