IND v AUS 2020: 'He has got his form but the hunger is alive' - Aakash Chopra believes Mayank Agarwal will score big in the Tests
Former Indian opener Aakash Chopra has opined that Mayank Agarwal not scoring a century in the warm-up encounter against Australia A might be a blessing in disguise. He reasoned that the Karnataka opener will be hungrier to play a big knock in the Test matches.
The reputed commentator made this observation while talking about Mayank Agarwal's gritty knock in the second innings in a video shared on his YouTube channel.
Aakash Chopra started by highlighting that Mayank Agarwal regaining his form was crucial for the Indian team.
"Mayank getting back his form was absolutely critical because he had made his debut here only and we want that runs keep flowing from his bat. We need to appreciate him as it was necessary for him to make runs."
The renowned commentator observed that Mayank Agarwal batted well in the second essay after getting out to a rather poor shot in the first innings.
"He had got out in the first innings to a slightly bad shot. But he played well this time and struck a good half-century."
Aakash Chopra added that Mayank Agarwal instils a sense of belief in viewers, and lauded his growth as a batsman over the last year or so.
"He gives me a lot of confidence. Mayank Agarwal is one of the most improved players in the last 12 months for Team India."
Aakash Chopra believes Mayank Agarwal not scoring a century could be a blessing in disguise
Aakash Chopra stated that he is not too unhappy with Mayank Agarwal not reaching the three-figure mark. He reasoned that it would leave the opener more eager to do well in the Tests.
"He got dismissed in the second session but honestly speaking when you have these side games and someone doesn't score a hundred I say that it was perfectly good. You have scored 60-65 runs, you have got your form and confidence but the hunger is alive."
The former KKR player added that Ricky Ponting told him that a batsman not getting the big scores makes him more careful in the next match.
"It is better if you score the big runs in the Test matches, this thing was told to me by Ricky Ponting as well. If you go into a match saying that you are doing everything fine but have not scored a century, then you play in a more guarded fashion, you are not overconfident."
Aakash Chopra signed off by hoping that Mayank Agarwal will display the desire to play big knocks in the first Test starting on December 17.
"From that perspective I am delighted that Mayank Agarwal has scored the runs but he has not scored a century. His intensity of scoring the hundreds and double-hundreds is expected to be seen in the match starting on the 17th."
Mayank Agarwal has shown the ability to play the long innings in his short Test career thus far. The 29-year old has converted two of his three hundreds in Test cricket into double centuries, including a highest score of 243 runs.