MUMBAI: For some who started out with tremendous promise — he scored 76, the highest by an Indian batsman on debut in Australia in the Boxing Day Test at Melbourne almost three years ago, Mayank Agarwal has not been able to sustain his performance or spot in Team India.
After enjoying tremendous success at home, where he got double hundreds against South Africa and Bangladesh, the stylish opener experienced a drop in form fortunes, and eventually lost his place in India’s Test XI. While he got 102 runs in two Tests in New Zealand at an average of 25.50 in March 2020, the Test series against Australia saw him being axed after a poor run in the first two Tests, before he was given a chance in the middle-order in the final Test at Brisbane.
Lady luck too, hasn’t been by his side. He was all set to play in the first Test at Trent Bridge, Nottingham, but was ruled out of the game after being struck on the head by a bouncer from Mohammed Siraj in the nets. In came KL Rahul as his replacement and sealed his spot with a series of impressive performances.
The 30-year-old is now geared up to make the most of his chance in the two-Test series against the Kiwis at home, which kicks off from November 25 in Kanpur. With star bat Rohit Sharma deciding to skip this series to take rest, the Karnataka man must make the most of this opportunity.
In Mumbai to train with the other Test specialists at the MCA’s Bandra Kurla Complex facility, Agarwal took time out for an interview with TOI.
Excerpts…
How upbeat are you of staging a successful comeback into India’s Test XI? Are you a bit nervous to get a chance to prove yourself again after almost a year?
I’m confident. We’re having a camp now. As a player all we can do is prepare well, build a good frame of mind and work hard. I trust my skills and my game.
Do you feel that luck deserted you at the worst-possible time in England, when you experienced concussion after being struck by a Siraj bouncer in the nets, and were this ruled out of the first Test? Your old friend KL Rahul replaced you and fared handsomely thereafter, which meant you couldn’t play a game in the series…
See, I wouldn’t look into it as that. I would look into it and say that’s how it is. You know, that’s how things happen sometimes. You have your ups and downs. And that’s fine. I don’t think of it as bad luck or anything like that. That’s just part of life. Having the sort of thing that happened is just a part of life. I’ve taken it well in my stride and I’ve moved on from it.
You’ve played under new coach Rahul Dravid for India A. How was that experience? Are you excited to work with him again?
Yes I’m really excited to be working with him again. We’ve had a fantastic experience working with him at India A, and now I’m looking forward to the same with the Indian team.
Can you elaborate on specific advice of his on the game that stayed with you?
His advice has always been something that stayed with me — he always spoke about managing mental energy. He said: ‘you just have to understand yourself better, understand your game, and manage your mental energy well. When you play a five-day game, you’re playing for long periods of time. You should know when to switch on, when to switch off. And that is something I learnt from him, and I have applied that in my game.
What are the challenges a player faces staying under bio-bubbles from one another series to another?
It’s all about creating a routine. Yes, It’s a bit difficult…going from bio-bubble to bio-bubble. You’ve to report that many days earlier, quarantine, and )do) all of that. But that is the current situation, and there is nothing we can do about it. In hindsight, if we are able to play our sport even in this situation, I am grateful for that.
Have you identified any areas in your game which need to be worked upon?
You obviously evolve as a player and learn. You have your experiences, whether good or bad, and you learn from them. I’ve learnt from those experiences. It’s been an enjoyable journey for me.
Your close friend Rahul, with whom you’ve opened for Karnataka, Punjab Kings and India, has done so well in the past few months. Do his recent performances inspire you to produce something similar as well?
Of course! Rahul and I are very good friends. Him doing well is great news. That is the culture in the Indian team. Everyone is really happy for each other’s success. That’s the culture we’ve created and we are very proud of that.
How has meditation (he practices vipassana) helped you in preparing for your return to the Indian team?
Yes, meditation has really helped me, and it continues to help me. It helps me understand myself better. And helps manage my thoughts a lot better.
How was the experience of playing under Team India’s previous coach Ravi Shastri and captain Virat Kohli?
They always had a word of encouragement for me. They always backed the players. It was very enjoyable working under them.
Rohit and Rahul have recently done so well as India’s Test openers, and then Shubman Gill and you are around too. How do you look at this competition?
I’ve always believed in working hard. If I keep doing the right things, work hard, prepare well, then things will fall in place.
Perhaps Rohit’s success as an opener for India in the Test series in England would have motivated you as well…
I think it’s great. The kind of performances Rohit has produced have put India in great positions. As an opening batsman, playing in English conditions, which can be testing early on, and setting a platform (for India), has been tremendous (on his part).
Do you watch videos of some of your best knocks, like the 76 on Test against Australia at MCG, or the double hundreds against South African at Bangladesh, to observe the right things that you were doing back then?
Yes, definitely. I do see those videos and pick up points to see what was working well, what I was doing right, just to get feedback on the things that I was doing right.
Whose advice do you seek on your batting when you want to address some issues?
I keep in touch with my (childhood) coach RX Murali sir. I keep working with him on my batting.
Have you devised any plans on how you will face Kiwi speedsters Kylie Jamieson and Neil Wagner, who have enjoyed plenty of success against India in the past?
That is why we are having a camp. It is great we can have this camp before a Test series. We get time to prepare and plan accordingly.
After enjoying tremendous success at home, where he got double hundreds against South Africa and Bangladesh, the stylish opener experienced a drop in form fortunes, and eventually lost his place in India’s Test XI. While he got 102 runs in two Tests in New Zealand at an average of 25.50 in March 2020, the Test series against Australia saw him being axed after a poor run in the first two Tests, before he was given a chance in the middle-order in the final Test at Brisbane.
Lady luck too, hasn’t been by his side. He was all set to play in the first Test at Trent Bridge, Nottingham, but was ruled out of the game after being struck on the head by a bouncer from Mohammed Siraj in the nets. In came KL Rahul as his replacement and sealed his spot with a series of impressive performances.
The 30-year-old is now geared up to make the most of his chance in the two-Test series against the Kiwis at home, which kicks off from November 25 in Kanpur. With star bat Rohit Sharma deciding to skip this series to take rest, the Karnataka man must make the most of this opportunity.
In Mumbai to train with the other Test specialists at the MCA’s Bandra Kurla Complex facility, Agarwal took time out for an interview with TOI.
Excerpts…
How upbeat are you of staging a successful comeback into India’s Test XI? Are you a bit nervous to get a chance to prove yourself again after almost a year?
I’m confident. We’re having a camp now. As a player all we can do is prepare well, build a good frame of mind and work hard. I trust my skills and my game.
Do you feel that luck deserted you at the worst-possible time in England, when you experienced concussion after being struck by a Siraj bouncer in the nets, and were this ruled out of the first Test? Your old friend KL Rahul replaced you and fared handsomely thereafter, which meant you couldn’t play a game in the series…
See, I wouldn’t look into it as that. I would look into it and say that’s how it is. You know, that’s how things happen sometimes. You have your ups and downs. And that’s fine. I don’t think of it as bad luck or anything like that. That’s just part of life. Having the sort of thing that happened is just a part of life. I’ve taken it well in my stride and I’ve moved on from it.
You’ve played under new coach Rahul Dravid for India A. How was that experience? Are you excited to work with him again?
Yes I’m really excited to be working with him again. We’ve had a fantastic experience working with him at India A, and now I’m looking forward to the same with the Indian team.
Can you elaborate on specific advice of his on the game that stayed with you?
His advice has always been something that stayed with me — he always spoke about managing mental energy. He said: ‘you just have to understand yourself better, understand your game, and manage your mental energy well. When you play a five-day game, you’re playing for long periods of time. You should know when to switch on, when to switch off. And that is something I learnt from him, and I have applied that in my game.
What are the challenges a player faces staying under bio-bubbles from one another series to another?
It’s all about creating a routine. Yes, It’s a bit difficult…going from bio-bubble to bio-bubble. You’ve to report that many days earlier, quarantine, and )do) all of that. But that is the current situation, and there is nothing we can do about it. In hindsight, if we are able to play our sport even in this situation, I am grateful for that.
Have you identified any areas in your game which need to be worked upon?
You obviously evolve as a player and learn. You have your experiences, whether good or bad, and you learn from them. I’ve learnt from those experiences. It’s been an enjoyable journey for me.
Your close friend Rahul, with whom you’ve opened for Karnataka, Punjab Kings and India, has done so well in the past few months. Do his recent performances inspire you to produce something similar as well?
Of course! Rahul and I are very good friends. Him doing well is great news. That is the culture in the Indian team. Everyone is really happy for each other’s success. That’s the culture we’ve created and we are very proud of that.
How has meditation (he practices vipassana) helped you in preparing for your return to the Indian team?
Yes, meditation has really helped me, and it continues to help me. It helps me understand myself better. And helps manage my thoughts a lot better.
How was the experience of playing under Team India’s previous coach Ravi Shastri and captain Virat Kohli?
They always had a word of encouragement for me. They always backed the players. It was very enjoyable working under them.
Rohit and Rahul have recently done so well as India’s Test openers, and then Shubman Gill and you are around too. How do you look at this competition?
I’ve always believed in working hard. If I keep doing the right things, work hard, prepare well, then things will fall in place.
Perhaps Rohit’s success as an opener for India in the Test series in England would have motivated you as well…
I think it’s great. The kind of performances Rohit has produced have put India in great positions. As an opening batsman, playing in English conditions, which can be testing early on, and setting a platform (for India), has been tremendous (on his part).
Do you watch videos of some of your best knocks, like the 76 on Test against Australia at MCG, or the double hundreds against South African at Bangladesh, to observe the right things that you were doing back then?
Yes, definitely. I do see those videos and pick up points to see what was working well, what I was doing right, just to get feedback on the things that I was doing right.
Whose advice do you seek on your batting when you want to address some issues?
I keep in touch with my (childhood) coach RX Murali sir. I keep working with him on my batting.
Have you devised any plans on how you will face Kiwi speedsters Kylie Jamieson and Neil Wagner, who have enjoyed plenty of success against India in the past?
That is why we are having a camp. It is great we can have this camp before a Test series. We get time to prepare and plan accordingly.
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