<p>On the occasion of Children’s Day last month, Mayank Agarwal put up a picture of himself as a child with a bat in hand, he must have been no more than four-year-old. The caption read: “Dream big, work hard and make it happen…”</p>.<p>KL Rahul, a close friend of Mayank and a team-mate, responded saying ‘Toe is still up bro”, referring to the opener’s peculiar tendency to have his left toe pointing skywards when driving the ball. Mayank retorted: “Don’t change what comes naturally to you they say!”</p>.<p>He didn’t in Kanpur during the opening Test against New Zealand, and both times he nicked the ball behind the stumps to be dismissed. On Friday too, he did so a few times, but, by and large, his foot remained planted. Resultantly, he looked compact. Perhaps, that’s why the unbeaten 120 was realised.</p>.<p><strong>Also read: <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/sports/mayank-ajaz-make-their-mark-1057308.html" target="_blank">Mayank, Ajaz make their mark</a></strong></p>.<p>“It’s something he has been working on,” said Mayank’s coach RX Murali. “It’s his natural movement but a few other technical changes have reduced that from happening.” </p>.<p>Feet balanced, head firmly on top and behind the ball and bat coming through seamlessly from the exaggerated backlift: Mayank has been a fine batsman for long, but rarely has he looked as indispensable. The opening day of the second Test in Mumbai was witness to him in his zone.</p>.<p>While the level of confidence in stroke-making was a throwback to the three other centuries he has compiled prior, this knock was drenched in the pizzazz he effortlessly exudes at the domestic level. And not only was this innings crucial in its match-winning potential, but it also gave the Karnataka lad a new lease of life. </p>.<p>Post his apathetic show in Australia, he was robbed of a chance to open with Rohit Sharma in England after suffering concussion during a practice session ahead of the opening Test at Trent Bridge. Rahul grabbed his chance and Mayank looked done for the time being. The pullout of Rahul from the NZ series, however, gave him another chance to assert his credentials. </p>.<p>That Mayank has compiled a significant chunk of his 1082 runs at home is true, but the sample size is far too small to make a concrete assessment. Moreover, two of his three centuries came against a highly proficient South African unit in 2019. </p>.<p>The Kiwi line-up on the day was not nearly impressive, save for Ajaz Patel. Kyle Jamieson was down for the count, Tim Southee sprayed the ball too often, William Somerville was loose and Rachin Ravindra barely got a bowl. </p>.<p>Conditions were plump and Mayank feasted. But he wasn’t hasty with it, he took his time to generously dismantle the opponents. “He used to bat like this little a year ago but his mental state didn’t allow him to express his skill this way. He didn’t need many technical fixes, he only needed to steady his mind, get some clarity,” Murali remarked. </p>.<p>While there was clarity in his intent from the start, the mood Mayank was in can best be summarised with one shot. </p>.<p>India hadn’t scored a run in 28 deliveries and lost the wickets of Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara and skipper Virat Kohli in this period. Ajaz Patel, who accounted for all these wickets, was threatening with acute turn. </p>.<p>Mayank charged out the crease and slapped a six over extra cover. Gill had tried the same a couple of times, succeeded once but nearly got himself stumped the next time. The ball was indeed turning viciously. Mayank wasn’t fazed.</p>.<p>A stellar range of shots followed, and then came the drive through cover for his century: he was poised, he was compact, it was effortless. And his left foot was firmly planted to the turf. “Yeah, I noticed. He looked stunning,” laughs Murali. </p>
<p>On the occasion of Children’s Day last month, Mayank Agarwal put up a picture of himself as a child with a bat in hand, he must have been no more than four-year-old. The caption read: “Dream big, work hard and make it happen…”</p>.<p>KL Rahul, a close friend of Mayank and a team-mate, responded saying ‘Toe is still up bro”, referring to the opener’s peculiar tendency to have his left toe pointing skywards when driving the ball. Mayank retorted: “Don’t change what comes naturally to you they say!”</p>.<p>He didn’t in Kanpur during the opening Test against New Zealand, and both times he nicked the ball behind the stumps to be dismissed. On Friday too, he did so a few times, but, by and large, his foot remained planted. Resultantly, he looked compact. Perhaps, that’s why the unbeaten 120 was realised.</p>.<p><strong>Also read: <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/sports/mayank-ajaz-make-their-mark-1057308.html" target="_blank">Mayank, Ajaz make their mark</a></strong></p>.<p>“It’s something he has been working on,” said Mayank’s coach RX Murali. “It’s his natural movement but a few other technical changes have reduced that from happening.” </p>.<p>Feet balanced, head firmly on top and behind the ball and bat coming through seamlessly from the exaggerated backlift: Mayank has been a fine batsman for long, but rarely has he looked as indispensable. The opening day of the second Test in Mumbai was witness to him in his zone.</p>.<p>While the level of confidence in stroke-making was a throwback to the three other centuries he has compiled prior, this knock was drenched in the pizzazz he effortlessly exudes at the domestic level. And not only was this innings crucial in its match-winning potential, but it also gave the Karnataka lad a new lease of life. </p>.<p>Post his apathetic show in Australia, he was robbed of a chance to open with Rohit Sharma in England after suffering concussion during a practice session ahead of the opening Test at Trent Bridge. Rahul grabbed his chance and Mayank looked done for the time being. The pullout of Rahul from the NZ series, however, gave him another chance to assert his credentials. </p>.<p>That Mayank has compiled a significant chunk of his 1082 runs at home is true, but the sample size is far too small to make a concrete assessment. Moreover, two of his three centuries came against a highly proficient South African unit in 2019. </p>.<p>The Kiwi line-up on the day was not nearly impressive, save for Ajaz Patel. Kyle Jamieson was down for the count, Tim Southee sprayed the ball too often, William Somerville was loose and Rachin Ravindra barely got a bowl. </p>.<p>Conditions were plump and Mayank feasted. But he wasn’t hasty with it, he took his time to generously dismantle the opponents. “He used to bat like this little a year ago but his mental state didn’t allow him to express his skill this way. He didn’t need many technical fixes, he only needed to steady his mind, get some clarity,” Murali remarked. </p>.<p>While there was clarity in his intent from the start, the mood Mayank was in can best be summarised with one shot. </p>.<p>India hadn’t scored a run in 28 deliveries and lost the wickets of Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara and skipper Virat Kohli in this period. Ajaz Patel, who accounted for all these wickets, was threatening with acute turn. </p>.<p>Mayank charged out the crease and slapped a six over extra cover. Gill had tried the same a couple of times, succeeded once but nearly got himself stumped the next time. The ball was indeed turning viciously. Mayank wasn’t fazed.</p>.<p>A stellar range of shots followed, and then came the drive through cover for his century: he was poised, he was compact, it was effortless. And his left foot was firmly planted to the turf. “Yeah, I noticed. He looked stunning,” laughs Murali. </p>
