Enjoy doing what you like doing: Sehwag's tip for young Mayank Agarwal

In an interview with Sportstar, Karnataka batsman Mayank Agarwal shares how Virender Sehwag’s tips and advice helped him shape his technique and improve his performance. The friendly encounter happened in 2013 during a Ranji Trophy match between Karnataka and Delhi at Feroze Shah Kotla. Both of them opened for their respective teams.

Being a newcomer, he sought out the owner of two triple centuries and had a chat for 15 minutes, one that he would treasure forever. “I was lucky to have spent 15 minutes with him, talking cricket. It’s a moment that I cherish,” Agarwal says.

The two of them talked about batting techniques and what a batsman’s mindset should be while dominating the bowlers – something that Sehwag was always known for. He also shared his training methods with the youngster, which Mayank does not want to disclose for the obvious reason of him following them at present.

Learnings from the maestro

However, there is one particular thing that the young opener specifically remembers and that is Sehwag‘s love for hitting the ball with the center of his bat. “There is one thing he told me he really looked forward to — middling the ball after watching it closely; he really used to enjoy that feeling,” Mayank says.

Another important advice he got about his batting is to keep the basics strong and simple and focus on them instead of stressing too much on the techniques. “You should enjoy doing what you like doing,” – a suggestion that Mayank says he took to heart.

Throughout his career, the cricketing world has remained witness to his laid-back style and effective simplicity, be it his batting strategy on the field or press conferences off it. No wonder he would pass on the same to the next generation.

Mayank’s only regret about that meeting is that he was so busy in the conversation and remembering Viru’s words that he absolutely forgot to click a picture with him. “I was so busy listening to him that the thought of clicking a photograph never crossed my mind. I think I was more interested in his advice,” he says.

In the upcoming IPL season, starting from 4th April, Mayank Agarwal will be a part of Kings XI Punjab and he is looking forward to learning as much as possible from his idol who happens to be the mentor of the team. And this time, he hopes to get a picture clicked as well.