After waiting for what seemed to be an eternity, and that despite having scored bagfuls of runs in all levels of cricket, Mayank Agarwal finally found his name among the India playing XI on Wednesday.
It is no surprise then to learn that the debutant had to not only tackle the Australia bowlers at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, he had to also get hold of his emotions when he walked on to the ground.
Mayank, however, passed the Test successfully as he scored 76 fantastic runs as India did well on the opening day of the match.
“It was a tremendous feeling to get the India Test cap. There were a lot of emotions... I will cherish it for the rest of my life. The first thought was 295 (his India cap number),” Mayank said at the media conference at the end of the day’s play.
“It wasn’t easy to check those emotions and focus, but it needed to be done. I just stuck to my plans and just kept telling myself, ‘there is a plan that I have to go through and I am just going to stick to that’… Even though it was overwhelming, it was good and I am happy with the way I started,” Mayank added.
The opener also thanked his seniors in the team for egging him on.
“It’s a big stage, and a big opportunity, and I had the seniors walk up to me, telling that ‘bigger the day, bigger the opportunity to leave a mark’,” he said.
Mayank became the seventh Indian opener to score a half-century on Test debut but the 27-year-old said that he would have liked get more runs in his first Test.
“I am happy, but obviously I would have liked more (runs). I would definitely take 76 rather than take something less than that. That said, I would have liked to go on and score more runs and stay not out at the end of the day,” Mayank said.
Mayank made it clear that he never ran out of patience during his ‘waiting period’ as he was constantly playing matches in the domestic circuit and for India A.
“Well, I was very happy when I got picked against West Indies. It was a big moment for me. From then on, it wasn’t in my hands. Deciding whether I am going to play or not, or getting picked or not is not in my hands.
“But the good thing was that there was a lot of domestic cricket, and a lot of India A games. So you make sure you go out there and give your best. Once you keep playing, you know those things don’t keep coming to your mind because you are focusing on that game and trying to win that game for the side,” he said.
“You do think about the selection bit, but then you are a professional and you tell yourself ‘that’s not something you can control’. So you move ahead, move on and see what’s next for you, prepare for that and once you are in, give your best,” he added.
Mayank was ecstatic that his debut match is being played at the MCG.
“I just want to say that whatever happened and whatever kept happening, I feel very, very special. I am very lucky because I made my debut at the MCG. When you play Ranji Trophy for five years and play in all parts of India, you learn a lot from that. You face different situations, and it’s always a great learning,” said.
About the MCG pitch, Mayank said: “I won’t complain about the pitch. I thought it was good to bat on. It did do a bit early on and it was slow. And as the day progressed and when we batted after lunch, it got a little quicker.
“Obviously, I didn’t think too much about the wicket. I just wanted to stay blank and take it as it comes. I thought while I am at the wicket, let me assess the wicket and see how to go about this.”
While India lost only two wickets on Wednesday, they didn’t get too many runs either — 215 for two in 89 overs. For that, Mayank credited the Australia bowlers.
“I thought they bowled extremely well. They didn’t give us many loose balls, they kept it tight and they were attacking. So with the way they bowled, I thought we played well.”
He is however hopeful that India have enough good batsmen to post a big score.
