The Indian opener, Mayank Agarwal, whose place in the Indian side was threatened before the start of the Mumbai Test, made a sensational comeback in the second Test match as he scored his fourth Test century on Day 1 at the iconic Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai.
Soon after the opening batsman was dismissed for 13 and 17 runs in his comeback game in Kanpur against New Zealand, Mayank was given a piece of advice by batting legend and India’s head coach Rahul Dravid. Mayank revealed how Rahul Dravid asked him to make it big after getting set on the field. He revealed:
“When I was picked, Rahul bhai spoke to me. He asked me to control what is in my hands and said, ‘go out there and give it your best’,” Agarwal said at the end of the day’s play.
“He had told me ‘When you get set, make it big’. I am happy to have capitalised on the start that I had. But that message was very clear from Rahul bhai, that I should make it count,” he added.
Rahul Dravid’s advice seemed to have worked for Mayank Agarwal as the cricketer continued with his sensational run in the ongoing match. In fact, the cricketer gave the biggest tribute to Rahul Dravid with his knock.
In his innings so far, Agarwal showed tremendous application and immense fighting spirit as he stood like a rock between India and the dangerous bowlers of New Zealand. Just like Rahul Dravid aka ‘THE WALL’, Mayank also stood there in the middle like a wall, while wickets kept falling on the other end.
Mayank’s knock came at a very crucial time for the Indian side when wickets were falling continuously from the other end. There was a lot of pressure on the young shoulders of Mayank, after Virat Kohli and Cheteshwar Pujara were dismissed for ducks. He stitched brilliant partnerships with Shubman Gill and later with Shreyas Iyer.
On Day 2, Mayank and Saha’s partnership looked unbreakable. However, overnight batter Wriddhiman Saha (25) was not able to stay at the crease for a long haul. Axar Patel then joined Mayanj in the middle and the duo mixed caution with aggression to retrieve the innings for India. Both the batters ensured that the Indian side don’t lose more wickets before the lunch break.
After the game resumed, Mayank Agarwal reached 150 runs, however, he was soon dismissed. He has scored more than half the runs of his side and is the sole reason for India’s position in the game.
Rahul Dravid was known for his solid batting skills and technique. Playing against New Zealand, Mayank replicated Rahul Dravid as just like the legendary batter, Mayank also stayed from the beginning of the inning to the end of the innings. He stayed solid in the middle, while wickets kept falling from the other end.
What a sensational knock from Mayank Agarwal!
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— CricTracker (@Cricketracker) December 4, 2021
