He is extremely hardworking and dedicated to his craft. That's the first thing that strikes you about Mayank Agarwal, who finally made his debut for India after performing magnificently well at the domestic level for a couple of seasons.
Karnataka right-hander struck fluent knocks of 76, 42 and 77 across Melbourne and Sydney and played his part in India's historic maiden Test series triumph Down Under. But aware that there is no Test cricket available for the next six months, Mayank was quick to go back to the domestic first-class game in India.
He played for his state towards the end of the historic Ranji Trophy and made vital contributions in their semi-final campaign.
"Ranji is a tough competition. By no means is it easy. It is a good, hard-fought season and you are competing against so many players," Mayank told Sportstar, "When you play Ranji Trophy, you are put in so many different situations because you play eight four-day games."
"If you play the knockouts, that makes it 11 games. You are not playing in one part of the country. You are touring. The kind of exposure, the different wickets in different parts of India is fantastic."
"It teaches you a lot about yourself and it is not a small tournament where you come, get one or two big scores and get noticed."
The 27-year-old also gave an insight on just how challenging the Ranji Trophy is for a cricketer and said, "You have to be consistent over a period of two-and-a-half months. If you have to play long Test series, in India or abroad, and if you keep playing Ranji Trophy, you will understand where you are in different stages of the tournament."
"Is your fitness up to the mark? Are you mentally present in the eighth game as you were in the first game? All these things help."
India next plays red-ball cricket in the Caribbean where they kickstart their World Test Championship campaign with a two-match series during August. But for Mayank, this period is about maintaining the same level of intensity with which he played in Australia. He wants to make every game count.
"It is not only about playing Tests. It is wherever you go and whichever format you play. It is about performing and pushing yourself to be the best you can," he added.
"There are a few learning experiences. I have learnt a few things while playing international cricket, and I want to come back and put that to use in Ranji Trophy. You need to do your best, play more number of matches and make your team win."
"My thought process, for the past two years or so, is about going out there and performing. I believe in scoring runs. There are a few things that are not in your control. You should keep doing things that are in your control."
