India vs Australia: Nathan Lyon was the one bowler Mayank Agarwal faced maximum in Melbourne and Sydney (104 balls) and he milked him for runs 69 runs in total including 5 fours and 5 sixes.
Mayank Agarwal solved one-half of India's opening woes after the first two Tests in the Border-Gavaskar series (AP Photo)
HIGHLIGHTS
- Mayank Agarwal scored 195 runs in the two Tests he played in Australia at 65.00
- His 76 in the first innings of the Boxing Day Test was the highest score by an Indian opener on debut overseas
- The 27-year-old had replaced Prithvi Shaw in the side, who was ruled out of the series after the 2nd Test
When Mayank Agarwal arrived in Melbourne last month when Virat Kohli's Team India was in dire straits. Opener Prithvi Shaw was ruled out, the 146-run win in Perth had just given a new lease of life to Australia and spinner Nathan Lyon, not the Aussie pace battery, was giving sleepless nights to the Indians with 16 wickets from the first two games. More importantly, the regular Indian opening pair wasn't even lasting first hour of the first innings.
Agarwal had a huge task at hand at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), in front of a packed house, in a Boxing Day Test, on Australian cricket's biggest day of the year. This was the moment he had waited for years, scoring thousands of runs in domestic cricket - to get that Test cap number 295.
Back home in Bangalore now, remembering the occasion still gives Agarwal the chills.
"Ravi Shastri Sir had told me during the practice session at MCG that I will be making my debut. I had imagined the scene at MCG but the reality hit me really hard. I was very nervous when I was about to enter the ground to bat. I looked around the ground, a huge stadium packed to the maximum, and realized that I am in the middle of something big. I felt like I am in a colosseum, with the noise and everything. It was a great feeling. I had waited for this moment, to play Test cricket for India. It was such an overwhelming experience. When I was getting my Test cap, Virat told me that it was a big occasion and I had a chance to make a big impact. So he was very encouraging," Agarwal told Mail Today in an exclusive chat less than 24 hours after returning from Australia.
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With both regular openers KL Rahul and Murali Vijay dropped from the team, Mayank had No.6 batsman Hanuma Vihari as his opening partner at the other end. So bad had been the Indian openers' showing in 2018 that skipper Virat Kohli had to come in to bat anytime after the 10th over in South Africa, England and even the first two Tests in Adelaide and Perth. Agarwal and Vihari's opening stand lasted 18.5 overs and made sure that only the Indian fans rejoice in the MCG stands on the opening day.
"After playing the first couple of overs, I felt a bit relaxed. I had a plan in my mind and kept telling myself that I have to stick to it. It was my first game so all the talk of openers not doing well wasn't playing on in my head. We wanted to give a good solid start to the team. So (Hanuma) Vihari and I were focusing on just that. We told each other that it won't be a problem even if we bat slow on that MCG wicket. We wanted to play maximum balls, spend as much time in the middle as possible and build a good partnership. And, we did that by playing together for 19 overs," says Agarwal.
Vihari fell for 8 but the Bangalore batsman made 76, the highest score by an Indian bastman on Test debut in Australia.
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"Yeah, I was disappointed on missing a century on debut. That ball (delivery from Cummins) kicked a bit too. Yes, I would have liked to score big but 76 on debut, I will definitely take that."
Agarwal made 42 in the second innings and followed it up with 77 in the only innings Indian batsmen got in the fourth and final Test match in Sydney.
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"I was a bit disappointed with the way I got out (in Sydney) because I felt that I threw my wicket. I could have got a big score there definitely. The plan against Nathan Lyon didn't work there. I have taken a learning out of it and will use it in future."
That was perhaps the only blip in executing the plan that the 27-year-old had made up against Lyon. Otherwise, the spinner who was threatening the Indian batters - so good against spin generally - in the first two Tests was neutralised by Agarwal who had spent countless hours tackling quality spinners in domestic cricket. Of all the Aussie bowlers, Lyon was the one Agarwal faced maximum in Melbourne and Sydney (104 balls) and he milked him for runs (69 runs, 5 fours, 5 sixes). Along with Cheteshwar Pujara, he had made the deadly Lyon look pedestrian.
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"When I arrived in Australia, I had lengthy discussions with (Sanjay) Bangar Sir and also Rahul on tackling the spin of Nathan Lyon. We analyzed what Lyon is trying to do. So, we worked on it in detail during the practice sessions, on how to keep him in check. I wanted to execute those plans against him in the middle and am happy that I succeeded to some extent."
He also believes that 'best friend' Rahul and also Murali Vijay will bounce back soon.
"As a player I understand that there will be many ups and downs in the career. Both Murali Vijay and KL Rahul are quality players. They have excelled not just at home but also abroad. I think it is just a phase and they will be out of it soon. Rahul especially is a very good friend so I felt good that he was there when I made my India debut. We played Under-13 together and he was at the other end when I made my Ranji debut for Karnataka too. He made me feel comfortable. In fact, the entire team gave a very warm welcome to me when I arrived in Australia. They helped me prepare well for the match.
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"It was a very challenging experience. It is such a good feeling that we triumphed. Beating Australia in Australia in a series, never done by an sub-continental team was huge. I am just happy that we have created history. For me that is the biggest thing that I was part of that team. Virat as a captain is very passionate. He wears his heart on sleeves. He plays aggressive cricket and it rubs onto the entire team. We are playing just to win. We don't have anything at all in our minds."
India won't play Test cricket until July but Agarwal will don his whites again shortly - to turn up for Karnataka in domestic cricket and also get ready for the forthcoming India 'A' series.
"I am relieved that I have made most of the opportunity in Australia and now want to keep on doing my best," he says.
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