Bengaluru batsman Mayank Agarwal is currently going through the form of his life.
The right-handed batsman has piled up 1033 runs in his last four matches taking the crease on seven occasions. Agarwal played a flamboyant knock of 134 runs against the Railways and dealt them with ease. It was then when coach RX Muralidhar was expecting the national selectors to include Agarwal’s name in the upcoming ODI series against Sri Lanka but unfortunately, Agarwal did not make the cut. Muralidhar recalls,
“Honestly, I felt it was over for him this season [after the pair against Hyderabad]. I was sure they (Karnataka) would drop him. We shared a laugh and I told him to let go and have fun. He is too organised and was batting well, but the runs weren’t coming. Fortunately, he has great friends on the side. They kept backing him. The captain believed in him, and they gave him another chance. He did not come to practice for two days before the Pune game, and that is very uncharacteristic of Mayank. He let go the pressure of the what-if-I-don’t and then came the triple ton that changed the course,”.
Muralidhar continued,
“The approach of letting go has worked for Mayank. That is the conscious effort we are making. He needs to be unaffected, and I am sure he will. We have worked on the mental side. If big runs are coming, then [he should] treat it as one good day in the office and not let any complacency of ‘I am the best’ creeping in. Similarly, there are bound to be days where you come out and make a similar good effort, but things do not fall into place, it is not the end of the world. The letting go of performance pressure and just enjoying it out in the middle continues to be important.”
Considering the stellar form of the current Indian batting line up, it is difficult for Mayank to break into the team, While Cheteshwar Pujara continues to be consistent as ever, Murali Vijay made his return big with a century. Shikhar Dhawan has been brilliant with his bat in this year both in the Test and limited-over formats.
Lokesh Rahul is the only one struggling for runs currently, but still, the Indian top-order is filled with immense talent. However, with this scintillating Ranji trophy show, Agarwal has certainly caught the eye of the selectors even though he was not selected.
“I would be lying if I say I wasn’t expecting his name. But what can you do about the uncontrollable? This is a journey. He is on a positive path, and it is not the end of the road and a long race. The selectors have kept him on the radar. He has played for the A-sides, and they have been patient with him. People want him to do well. We have seen that performances at domestic levels have been rewarded with national calls in recent times and if he continues to be his consistent, his time shall come.” added Muralidhar.
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