India skipper Rohit Sharma on Tuesday (July 11) highlighted the importance of having a left-handed opener in the team while confirming Yashasvi Jaiswal’s inclusion for the first Test against the West Indies, starting July 12 in Dominica.
Rohit’s statement might just have come as a jolt to some openers who are vying to find a spot in the squad. Mayank Agarwal is one of them.
The Karnataka right-hander will have to play the waiting game to make his return to the side. His last Test appearance was against Sri Lanka in March 2022.
However, the 32-year-old isn’t thinking too much about it. "See, I am somebody who does not think too much about it. I have been dealt a hand and I don't have much control on what hand I have been dealt with. But I really want to put in everything from my side. On every given opportunity, I want to go out there, score runs and win games. Whatever has to come its way, it will come," said Mayank, as quoted by PTI.
When a player is aiming to regain his place in the national side, he will have to score heaps of runs in domestic cricket. Agarwal is aware of the task ahead, but remained unfazed.
"I don't look at it as pressure, as I look at it as opportunity. Like I said, wherever I play, whichever tournament I play I want to go and get runs. I am somebody who I can ask myself some tough questions over the years.
"I play with a lot of intensity. I am a very intense character. But off the field I am relaxed. I know how to switch off with the Vipasana (a breathing exercise) and as you said being a father also adds a bit to it," he said.
Mayank is also making a mark in the domestic circuit. He amassed 990 runs in the 2022-23 Ranji Trophy season and slammed two fifties for South Zone against North Zone in the Duleep Trophy semifinals.
"I am very happy with the way I am batting through the last domestic season. I am glad that I am able to pile on runs on tough tracks.
"It is something that I am proud of. Even in the semifinals (Duleep Trophy) we were in a spot of bother and getting those runs was nice as the wicket was not the easiest. It definitely feels very good to put in a match winning contribution," he said.
Mayank got out for 28 in the first innings of the Duleep Trophy final against West Zone. But for him, winning the tournament is more important than achieving his personal targets.
"It is of utmost importance. For me, as a player I play to win and that is the intensity I play with and all of us are putting in the hard yards.
"The semifinal game was very tight and you could see that winning that match meant a lot for everyone. We are going to go all out and try our best to win the final," he concluded.
(With PTI Inputs)
