International cricket has made me calmer, want to finish games
CHENNAI: A long wait ended for Mayank Agarwal in December last year.
After scoring 1100-plus runs in the 2017-18 Ranji Trophy and 700-plus runs in Vijay Hazare Trophy, the Karnataka opener’s prolific run-scoring was finally rewarded with a spot in the India team.
Still, the 28-year-old had gone to Australia only as a replacement, following poor form and injury to those originally chosen. Selected for the Boxing Day Test at the MCG, he responded with an assured 76, the highest score by an Indian debutant in Australia, and a 42. He hit 77 in the next Test in Sydney.
Agarwal is now keen to make amends for Kings XI Punjab in the IPL, after scoring only 120 runs in 11 games in
IPL 2018. He speaks about his new IPL season, and what he learnt from the India dressing room. Excerpts:
You are now an international. How does that change things?
I am excited. I have made certain plans and worked on it, hopefully things will turn out well. There is going to be pressure. There will be expectations from fans, franchise, and teammates. It’s the kind of pressure that I enjoy.
The 2018 IPL was not very good for you…
After the IPL, I sat down with my coach and analysed the areas in which I failed. We had a year to sort things out and we have improved on that front. I am happy to be back, to try and change things for the good.
Has your perspective changed after Test debut?
The intensity with which the game is played is a lot different from first class matches. That is something I can take inspiration from. The environment in the dressing room is also quite vibrant; it gives you a lot of insight. I hope to be calmer in pressure situations after seeing how the senior cricketers go about a match. My learning from international cricket has been more on the mental aspects than on the technical side. I learned a lot about focusing on bowlers while dealing with the pressure from outside and from within.
You scored a match-winning 85* in the Syed Mushtaq Ali final…
That knock was special as it capped a good domestic season for us (Karnataka). I was happy it came in the final. It was perfect preparation for IPL. As a professional cricketer, we need to adapt to format changes quickly. It always helps if you get time to get into the groove and win a national title for your state.
Apart from the final, your scores weren’t great.
I was good in the knockout stages as I stayed unbeaten thrice. That was the real big takeaway, finishing games batting at No 3. That is the confidence I want to carry into the IPL. I want to finish games for Kings XI too.
In KXIP, you will have Chris Gayle and KL Rahul to bat with.
Rahul is my state-mate, we’ve played a lot together. The way Gayle paces his innings is worth learning. We’ve shared a lot of communication last year. I hope to carry that forward this time too.