Mumbai Test: Mayank’s ton salvages day after Ajaz offers India anxious moments

In his first eight Test matches, cut up equally dwelling and overseas, Mayank Agarwal had two double centuries, a century and three half-centuries. Then he had a quiet couple of video games in Australia, and located himself behind Shubman Gill within the queue. Then he received hit on the pinnacle by Mohammed Siraj in England. KL Rahul returned and rediscovered himself within the longest format. Meanwhile, Rohit Sharma was being, properly, Rohit Sharma.
If one performs principally one format for India, like Agarwal does in the intervening time, to be slotted as back-up Test opener is probably the toughest place within the sport to be in. Then he received a sport after near a 12 months, and promptly nicked off towards the category of Tim Southee and Kyle Jamieson. It might be an unforgiving gig, to be often tasked with blunting the brand new crimson ball.

So unforgiving that had Agarwal been sacrificed for incoming captain Virat Kohli for the Mumbai Test, it in all probability wouldn’t have brought about an excessive amount of indignation. He wasn’t going to be opening on the Wanderers anyway come the primary Test towards South Africa, except there was an damage to the regulars.

📸📸@mayankcricket 👌👌#INDvNZ @Paytm pic.twitter.com/nqSu26V5VH
— BCCI (@BCCI) December 3, 2021
After his identify was included within the XI for the midday begin at Wankhede Stadium, Agarwal made positive he was nonetheless batting when play was known as off for unhealthy mild 5 minutes earlier than prolonged time got here to an finish with the hosts at 221/4.
All of his 4 Test centuries – 215, 108, 243 and this unbeaten 120 – have come at dwelling, and all of the 4 fifties away from dwelling. While that does inform one thing about his conversion capability, all the house daddy tons of haven’t been so simple as seeing off the brand new ball for half a session and cashing in thereafter.
The 243 in Indore was a living proof. It did come towards Bangladesh and Agarwal hit an Indian file eight sixes, however most of them had been properly after he had gone previous his hundred and pulled the innings into protected territory. For some time, the Bangladesh pacers had had their tails up, and India had gone from 105/1 to 119/3, with the final specialist batting pair within the center.
Rescue job
Against New Zealand in Mumbai on Friday, India stumbled faster and more durable, from 80/0 to 80/3 within the area of 16 deliveries. The fourth-wicket pair of Agarwal and Shreyas Iyer doubled that rating, however even 160/4 wasn’t the place India would have wished to be after successful the toss and selecting to bat first.
In the Bangladesh sport, Agarwal was within the type of his life. Things aren’t the identical now, however he appeared decided to bat lengthy at Wankhede. Even as Gill started with a flurry of boundaries, Agarwal refused to fiddle with deliveries leaving him outdoors the off-stump. When he was made to play, he made an try and get outdoors the road of off to rule out the leg-before menace. Even into the night, his focus would maintain up, as he lunged ahead to maintain out considered one of Southee’s change-up incoming deliveries.
Agarwal does are likely to get squared up, and was once more by Jamieson within the sixth over for an edged 4 to 3rd man. He didn’t have a lot of a set off motion on that ball, and the bat got here down from inside the road. But by the subsequent ball, he had made a slight adjustment, taking a step throughout and getting behind the road neatly to defend.

ᴍᴏᴍᴇɴᴛ ᴏꜰ ᴛʜᴇ ᴅᴀʏ! 👏 👏
How particular was that batting show from Mayank Agarwal on Day 1 at Wankhede! 👍 👍#GroupIndia #INDvNZ @Paytm pic.twitter.com/cbrGQUIwfa
— BCCI (@BCCI) December 3, 2021
After the day’s play, he mentioned that he had received ideas from Sunil Gavaskar on method and was making an effort to be extra side-on. “He told me that I should consider keeping the bat a bit low initially in my innings,” Agarwal mentioned. “I have a tendency to hold it high. I couldn’t make that adjustment in this short period of time. I noticed his shoulder position and picked up that I need to be more side-on.”
It additionally helped that the beginning was delayed by a session. The first one normally helps the pacers probably the most at Wankhede, and the second is nice for batting earlier than bowlers discover some help once more within the night.
Turning level
(Twitter/BLACKCAPS)
Once he received in, Agarwal towards spin was a deal with to look at, as he usually is. Mumbai-born left-arm spinner Ajaz Patel picked up all of the 4 wickets to fall, together with Cheteshwar Pujara and Virat Kohli for geese. He was discovering grip and switch, and infrequently beating the surface edge on entrance in addition to again foot.
(PTI Photo/Shashank Parade).
But again and again, Agarwal would step out and loft him with the spin to the long-off boundary. He has this specific method of springing out of the crease, and gathering sufficient momentum to generate distance with a clear bat-swing, like batsmen of an earlier period needed to do when bats weren’t as highly effective.
Sixty of his 120 runs got here in entrance of sq. on the off facet, together with three sixes towards Ajaz. Later, Agarwal would say it was a aware resolution to be aggressive towards the left-arm spinner. “He was bowling exceedingly well. But each time anything was in our half, the plan was to be a bit more attacking. Anything that came a little towards us in length, we were going to go for it. He had that phase when he tied us down, so it was a conscious decision to make it count when we could or each time he bowled it in our spot.”
Having already revived the innings twice, Agarwal shouldn’t be executed but. “The first session (on Day Two) we want to play it out, (as) the wicket is going to get harder and harder to bat on.”