Legendary Indian Test batter VVS Laxman felt for Mayank Agarwal, as the in-form opener missed out on a "great opportunity" against New Zealand to stay in contention for the opening slot for the upcoming three-match Test series in South Africa later this year.
Rohit Sharma was rested for the just-concluded two-match Test series against New Zealand, while KL Rahul was ruled out with an injury, with Mayank and Suryakumar Yadav coming in as their replacements.
Well, Mayank failed to grab the opportunity in the first Test, scoring 13 and 17 in Kanpur, but he made a stunning comeback in the second Test, hitting an impressive yet gutsy knock of 150 in the first innings and another fifty (62) in the second innings against New Zealand at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
He single-handedly took Team India to 325 in the first innings amid Ajaz Patel's historic 10-wicket haul and continued his form to score an aggressive 62 to help the hosts declare at 276 in the second innings, playing a key role in his team’s massive 372-run win over New Zealand in the second Test.
However, Mayank would have loved to score the century that was denied by Ajaz, as he is vying for the spot alongside Rahul, Rohit, and Shubman Gill, and Laxman admitted that had he managed another century in the second innings, it would have further boosted his chances for the South Africa tour.
Laxman said in a conversation with Star Sports, “He was fantastic and sensational in the first innings. His footwork, his mindset and he batted with his natural instinct. It was a great opportunity for him to get to that hundred. But he would be disappointed.”
He further explained, “He spoke about the competition for the opening spot. You got two established openers in Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul. Shubman Gill will probably be the fourth in that order in the moment. The best way to be part of the competition is to score heavily. He has done that in the first innings, dominated in the second innings, but could not execute that shot perfectly.”
Laxman concluded, “There was a fielder in the deep, but he backed himself to clear the fielder and the rope, but couldn't. He would have loved to get one more hundred which was probably on a platter for him.”
