Mayank Agarwal reveals his childhood dream, says he was fascinated by airplanes
What's the story?
Indian opener Mayank Agarwal has lifted the lid on his childhood ambitions, claiming that he wanted to pursue the job of a pilot by studying science. The 27-year-old mentioned that he chased the national team call-up only after he excelled for Karnataka in domestic cricket.
In case you didn't know...
Agarwal was made to wait for his chance in Test cricket, but ever since he donned the whites for India, the stroke-maker hasn't looked back. With a couple of 70s and an unbeaten 42, he has successfully fixed his team's issues at the top of the order.
The heart of the matter
With the average of just over 50 and almost 3,700 runs for Karnataka, Agarwal has established himself as one of the best batsmen in the domestic circuit, which in turn led to his national selection.
However, the explosive willow-wielder had different plans during his childhood. Speaking in an interview with bcci.tv, he remarked, "I was fascinated by airplanes in my childhood. So, it was like I wanted to study science and then become a pilot."
Agarwal continued, "When I played for Karnataka later then I thought, can do this as well. I never said will only play cricket or will not play. My parents supported me a lot, they always asked me to keep my options open."
The Bangalore-born cricketer also affirmed that he was left blank after Ravi Shastri told him about a potential debut against Australia.
"Ravi sir told me that 'you got to be prepared. You got to get a game'. At that moment, I was quiet for those two to five seconds and then just got this thought in my head that this is what you're waiting for," he added.
What's next?
Having posted a mammoth 622-7 in the first innings, India are well on course to win this series down under and script their name in the history books. Aged 27, Mayank Agarwal has a long road ahead of him, if he is willing to go the distance.