Mayank Agarwal: The solution to India's opening Woes

Mayank Agarwal: The solution to India’s opening Woes: Modern day cricket demands the player to be more aggressive. The concept of taking calculated risks has become more prominent. The Helicopter shot, the dil-scoop and the reverse sweep are clear evidences of the advances of the centuries old gentleman’s game.

As the aggression and risk factor has increased considerably, weightage is also given to elegance and shot making ability. That said, the role of the opening batsman has become extremely important. While most of the countries in the world have a solid opening pair, the opening problem has been persistent with the Indian cricket team for the better part of 2 years.

Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir carried the mantle of opening the batting for almost a decade. However, since they fell out of favor with the stuffed shirts, the BCCI and the selection panel have longed for an opening pair with similar consistency. In the test scenario, Murali Vijay has become a mainstay while Shikhar Dhawan has kept the fire burning in ODI’s as well. Lacking consistency, one will definitely agree that the Rohit Sharma experiment has paid much fewer dividends than many expected. A disappointment for someone of Rohit’s talent and caliber.

With frustrations running high and time running out, it is certainly easy to assume that the wise men of Indian cricket are weighing their options for a replacement. Among the many youngster who are making their mark on domestic cricket, two names have cropped up in the shortlist. KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal. While the former is looking at cementing his place in the test starting lineup, Mayank Agarwal has turned some heads with his performances in the recently concluded ‘A’ Tri Series.

While many a 24-year-old would be depressed from his exclusion from the Ranj Trophy squad, Agarwal channeled his exclusion into a more positive form. As his team-mates, colleagues and friends in the Karnataka side lifted the Ranji Trophy for the second successive time, Agarwal was at the NCA nets. Assisted by his trusted coaches, Mayank Agarwal was sweating it out from dawn to daybreak. As Mayank toiled away, Rahul Dravid, the newly appointed coach of the India ‘A’ team took notice of the 24-year-old. Thus, Mayank Agarwal joined his Karnataka team-mates Manish Pandey and Karun Nair for the Tri Series played in Chennai.

Think new thoughts. Grab life with both hands, take opportunities you have, & create the ones you need. And that is precisely what Mayank Agarwal did. His 176 off 133 against South Africa ‘A’ was a clinical display of his class and talent. Facing the likes of Lonwabo Tsotsobe and Wayne Parnell, Agarwal played the innings of his life on a flat and dry Chepauk wicket. His fantastic handling of the South African attack and the world-class execution of his cover drives were an absolute treat to watch for the 100 or so spectators present at the MCA Stadium, Chennai.

What impressed more was the temperament showed by the Karnataka opener. His ability to switch the tempo of his innings and knowing when to accelerate is a trademark of the modern-day batsman. Playing a team sport is all about being able to sacrifice and play second fiddle when need be. Mayank Agarwal played second fiddle ever so well as he assisted skipper Unmukt Chand towards the latter’s innings of 64.

It definitely won’t be long before his words after receiving the man of the match award resonate in the discussions of the BCCI selectors.

‘I have been batting well, been getting a lot of runs and I wouldn’t mind taking this pitch home. I did a lot of long distance running to help me bat for longer periods. It’s important to do the right things again, follow the same process and hopefully, I can get another big one to take the team home tomorrow.’