Mayank Agarwal happy to have returned to form in Syed Mushtaq Ali final, just ahead of the IPL

He has already proved a point in the longer format. After scoring consistently in first-class cricket, Mayank Agarwal eventually got his opportunity to play for India in a Test series Down Under and hit 76 on debut to set a record. He played two matches in the series and impressed in both by scoring half-centuries in each of them. Now, the Karnataka batsman has made an emphatic statement in the T20 format also by hitting 85 not out in 57 balls to help his side clinch Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy on Thursday.

Mayank’s innings came when it mattered the most

The 28-year-old now want to take the form into the Indian Premier League (IPL) starting March 23 where he plays for Kings XI Punjab. Mayank, who has a strike-rate of 130-plus in T20s, though did not have great touch in Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 tournament but was happy that he played a knock of substance when it mattered the most. As a result, he was declared the Man of the Match in Karnataka’s victory over Maharashtra by 8 wickets with nine balls to spare in the final in Indore.

“I hadn’t been getting as many runs during the league stages but I am happy that I made a comeback and got a lot of runs in the knockouts. Under lights the balls started to come nicely onto the bat and we made full use of it. I am happy that I have got some runs under my belt, and I hope I can take this confidence into the IPL,” News18 quoted the talented opening batsman as saying. The win saw Karnataka equally Kolkata Knight Riders as an India-based side with the most consecutive T20 wins (14 games).

Karnataka bowlers did well to restrict Maharashtra to 155 for 4 in their 20 overs after their skipper Manish Pandey won the toss and elected to field. Karnataka did not have a tough ask in chasing the target as opener Rohan Kadam (60) and Mayank, who came in at No.3, added 92 runs for the second wicket to tilt the match in their team’s favour.

“I thought we did extremely well to restrict them to that total. The talk in the dressing room is all about winning tournaments and we all as a team try and work hard to win at least one or two tournaments every year. We are happy that we ended on a high,” Mayank added.

It was the maiden title Karnataka won under the captaincy of Pandey and the first title in domestic cricket since winning the Vijay Hazare Trophy in 2017-18.

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