Indian cricket has rarely had trouble finding openers. Good ones, though, aren’t easy to come by, least of all when the crunch is on. Mayank Agarwal has been one of them.
While his name has somewhat become a thing of the past in the wake of a new wave of young Indian openers, that he has 1,488 runs from 21 Tests at an average of 41.33, including four centuries and six half-centuries, can’t be reduced to nostalgia already.
Also, the Karnataka batter has proven time and again that he can deliver when the odds are stiff and he has been fairly consistent at that.
Consider his performance for South Zone in the Duleep Trophy semifinal against North Zone at the M Chinnaswamy stadium last week for instance.
South were down four batters for 35 runs in response to North’s 198 when Agarwal came up with a quality 76 after mucking about early on.
South had fallen three runs short of North’s tally in the first innings so it was imperative for the ‘hosts’ to coax a result. They managed to bowl North out for 211, giving themselves a target of 215.
South won eventually, but the game will be remembered for the excitement of the final hours of the game. Agarwal’s 57-ball 54, though the cornerstone of South’s graduation to the final, was all but forgotten. In fact, even Agarwal looked surprised when he was called to collect the man of the match award.
“I love challenges,” Agarwal tells DH. “I played these roles for Karnataka for years and for India too. There’s something about being in that zone, the pressure, it’s exciting. Also, I have matured over the years to be able to slow things down in those moments and actually ride the wave.
“I may have tried to force things in the past but now, I let it happen,” he adds.
At 32-year-old Agarwal isn’t young, but it's an age often associated with athletic prime for it is the coming together of physical prowess and mental stability. Agarwal seems to have hit that.
“Of course, I feel like I am in my best shape now,” he says, adding that he clocks 20.1 in Yo-Yo tests. “Also, I am reaping the rewards of my experience. It’s like my body caught up with my brain and that alignment is great for my cricket. It becomes easy.”
Asked about his route back to the Indian camp, he expectedly says: “I top scored in the Ranji Trophy last season and I have done well consistently. I don’t worry about the call-up. It would be lovely to return but that’s not in my control. All I can do is keep scoring. I am grateful for the very fact that I can still do that and do it at this level.”
It’s hard to place Agarwal with this intense tone for he is often a jovial character on the field, ready for a laugh no matter the situation.
“Yeah, you know I have had to learn to let go a little bit. I used to be intense all the time,” he recalls. “I was obsessing over things, technique things and so on, and that intensity sort of became my identity.
“Only now, after years of working on myself, have I been able to relax and enjoy the sport for what it is. I feel like a child playing a game I love again. As cricketers, we tend to forget that at times. I’m glad I was able to reconnect with that side of me.”
Neither is Agarwal a finished product, nor is he finished as far as the Indian team goes, but patience is imperative, as is consistency. Agarwal has his eggs in order by the looks of it.