Although Mayank Agarwal had a terrible outing in three ODIs against New Zealand, ex-India opener Gautam Gambhir has pinned his hopes on the former to play a big role for the No. 1 team in the upcoming two-Test series, starting February 21 at Basin Reserve.
WATCH - Mayank Agarwal undergoes unique batting drills ahead of first Test
India began the Kiwi tour with a 5-0 T20I series win but the Men in Blue got the same treatment in the 50-over format as the hosts inflicted a 3-0 whitewash on them.
On the eve of the Test series opener, Gambhir advised Indian fans and pundits to appreciate the opposition and focus on the next assignment.
"In cricket, I have often noticed that whenever we go down, we start blaming someone from our team," he wrote in his column for The Times of India on Thursday (February 20).
"More often than not, we start questioning our processes and change things which are not meant to be. The same Indian team that beat the hosts 5-0 in the T20I series was being criticized. Why can’t we just appreciate the opposition and look to up our game in future contests?" he added.
With Rohit Sharma getting ruled out of the series due to calf injury, either one of Prithvi Shaw or Shubman Gill will open alongside Agarwal in the first Test.
Therefore, Gambhir feels Mayank – the 9-Test veteran – will have a bigger role to play as the senior opening partner.
"I have a lot of faith in Mayank Agarwal. He may not be the most gifted going around but he is certainly the most organised. He will not treat bowlers with disdain like Virender Sehwag or a David Warner did but has the clarity of mind of an opening batsman," he stated.
"We will have a new pair opening the batting for India. It will interesting to see how Prithvi Shaw or Shubhman Gill react to opportunities as and when they get," Gambhir wrote.
"Getting into the Test series, I don’t expect overnight changes in the way the outside world reacts to reversals but I am glad that Virat Kohli’s team looks pretty much protected from these assessments," he concluded.
