Not bothered about selection, says Agarwal

The law of averages had finally caught up with Mayank Agarwal when he struggled to make a mark in the 11th edition of the Indian Premier League. Last season, he was a player who could do no wrong in any of the tournament he played. But by accumulating just 120 runs from 11 games at an average of 12 in IPL, the Karnataka batsman showed he was only a human.

When the India call-up eluded him, despite his splendid record of 2051 runs across three formats in the domestic season, Agarwal asserted that he believed in living in the present. The 27-year-old was keen on keeping his good run going. Very early into the fresh season, Agarwal has lived up to his words.

Playing for India ‘A’, the attacking opener’s three List ‘A’ centuries and a double ton in the ongoing four-day game against South Africa ‘A’ have once again triggered talks of his selection in the senior Indian side. A composed Mayank told reporters that he doesn’t want to think about something that wasn’t under his control and dismissed his IPL show as a one-off.

“It (IPL) was the only tournament where I didn’t get much runs but otherwise, I am happy with the way this year has progressed. Last season, if you exclude the IPL, I did well in all the other tournaments and I am happy about it. I understand IPL is a big event and you learn a lot from it but I cannot be very critical of myself for one bad tournament,” he pointed out.

He maintained his stance that he wasn’t bothered about the selection debate. “To be honest selection is not something on my mind. Whatever has to happen will happen. You still have many tournaments to play. After the four-day games, we have the quadrangular series. I still have games to play and I am focusing on them rather than team selections,” he stressed.

Explaining his hunger for runs, Mayank said: "When you are going through a phase in which you are getting runs, you must make sure it continues as long as possible. It’s very important to take confidence from the good form and make every opportunity count.”