Unaffected by pressure of expectations, Mayank Agarwal dreams of World Cup glory
Nec Dextrorsum, Nec Sinistrorsum.
The Latin motto of Bangalore's Bishop Cotton Boys’ School translates to ‘Neither to the left, nor to the right’.
During a Pune-Delhi game in this year's IPL, Rishabh Pant dug out one of Ben Stokes’ dead accurate yorkers towards the fielder at point and set off for what seemed like a harmless single.
Mayank Agarwal, an alumnus of the prestigious school, swiftly pounced on the ball, sized up the distance, took aim at the one and a half stumps he could see, and fired in a throw from point. Before Stokes could even position himself behind the stumps, the ball darted back and hit the woodwork right in the middle.
‘Neither to the left, nor to the right’.
There’s a certain spunk that is enveloped over Mayank Agarwal’s otherwise calm demeanour, one that emanates whenever he pierces the off-side or throws himself at the ball. The plucky trait was picked up by the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the 2012 IPL.
Five years later, he played for the Rising Pune Supergiant for their last IPL season as they fell just one step behind eventual winners Mumbai Indians.
“It was a great experience playing for Pune and reaching the finals was really nice. It would have been really good if we had won, but we fought hard, we were close. Probably just a shot away”, Agarwal told Sportskeeda, in an exclusive interview at the sidelines of the KPL.
Agarwal, who missed out on the playing XI for the final, was present inside the dressing room during the tense moments.
“It was a very calm and composed environment with [Stephen] Fleming there. Everyone knew what they had to do and had roles assigned, all of us were just out there giving positive energy and trusting the playing XI to go for us”.
Roll back the years, and Mayank was just like any other budding cricketer, having started playing the game after watching the Master Blaster in full flow.
“I started playing the game because of Sachin Tendulkar. The way he played the game was unbelievable. Just the way he hit the ball got me excited. I used to play a lot of tennis ball cricket in the backyard. I then progressed to the school team and slowly and steadily made the cut”.
Success came early for the Bangalore-born, who played the 2012 edition of the U-19 World Cup, alongside his statemate, KL Rahul.
“Representing your country is always a matter of pride. Not many get the opportunity to represent the country in the World Cup. I had never played that level of cricket till then”.
India were knocked out in the quarter-finals, but Mayank had made his mark. Within a year, he was playing the IPL for one of its most popular sides. During one of his games for the Royal Challengers Bangalore, Mayank showed the very spunk he was chosen for, slamming pacer Munaf Patel for 24 runs in a single over, all at the age of 21.
He followed it up by scoring bucketloads of runs during the KPL, becoming the first batsman to breach the 1000 run mark in the tournament. Accolades started pouring in, led by J Arunkumar, who went on to say that if Mayank played till the 16th over in a T20, he is guaranteed to score a hundred.
“To know and believe that I can I can do it is a good feeling, and I must appreciate Jack [J Arunkumar] sir, who kept telling me that time and again. That positive reinforcement always helped me”.
His rich run of form carried to the longer formats as well. Last year, he hit a century in the KPL. The natural strokemaker is tailor-made for the short format, but how does he change his game for four-day matches?
“You don’t change much. You just understand your game, once you understand what shots you can play, you stick to those. In a 4-5 day game, you can reduce the number of risks you take and as the format gets shorter, you calculate your risks”.
“The risk to return ratio has to get better. You should know if you play this stroke, you should go for it”.
“For four-day games, you have more time. You can take fewer risks and have extra time.The natural game doesn’t change. You play according to the situations and you have a lot more time on your hands in a 4-day game”.
After their century-stand in an IPL game in 2015, Delhi Daredevils teammate Yuvraj Singh had given him a dose of admiration, wishing that the youngster plays for India soon. Mayank’s dream resonates with the veteran’s wish, and yet, he doesn’t feel the pressure of expectations on him.
“These words are very motivating. You know that you have been backed. I don’t get weighed down by expectations. People know you have the talent. It is a good feeling, it motivates you”.
Despite changing boats frequently, Agarwal doesn’t see trouble in maintaining consistency in his game. From Virat Kohli to Steve Smith, he has played under multiple captains. But being a professional, he doesn’t mind changing teams.
"We are professionals and if we are supposed to change teams, we can't complain. We just got to go out there and do our best".
He is now settled with the Hubli Tigers, a side that has had a great track record over the last few seasons. Agarwal is ready to help the team better the one single step that they haven't managed yet.
“The KPL is a great platform for state cricketers to showcase their talent. We get a good amount of crowd to come and watch the games. We have got to implement what we have learnt in the IPL and domestic games”.
“It helps me understand where I am at this point of the year in the shorter format, and what things I have to work on for the next tournament, be it the upcoming domestic season or the IPL”.
The journey from the Cottonian grounds to the IPL finals has been worth capturing. And yet, there is so much more to look forward to. When asked about the single most enriching experience till now, he paused, and said: "It is yet to come". His short terms goals are to do well in the KPL and the domestic season that follows, but the sharp-eyed lad has the ultimate dream burning inside him.
“I want to represent the country and win the World Cup”.