IPL 2021: "Mayank Agarwal does not have a selfish bone in his body" - Aakash Chopra
Aakash Chopra has lauded Mayank Agarwal for his selfless nature on the cricket field.
Agarwal smashed an unbeaten 99 to take the Punjab Kings to a fighting score of 166/6 in their IPL 2021 encounter against the Delhi Capitals on Sunday. However, the target didn't pose much of a challenge to the Rishabh Pant-led side as they cantered to a 7-wicket win, with 14 deliveries to spare.
During a post-match discussion on Star Sports, Aakash Chopra said that Mayank Agarwal is a captain's delight as he is a perfect team player.
"Mayank Agarwal is my favourite player. I feel he does not have a selfish bone in his body. His is the first name any captain likes to write in his team because he will always play for the team," said Chopra.
While analyzing Mayank Agarwal's knock on Sunday, the IPL commentator pointed out that the new Punjab Kings captain had started slowly and then chose his attacking shots judiciously.
"Today he started off slowly, did not take too much pressure on himself. But after that when the wickets were falling at the other end, his shot selection, the options he picked were perfect," said Chopra.
While explaining that Agarwal's aerial shots down the ground are his trademark, Chopra picked his six off Kagiso Rabada as his shot of the day.
"He has a different style of playing. The down-the-ground shots he hits is his speciality. He scored a century in Sharjah, there also he was hitting straight after moving aside his front leg. But the six he hit off Rabada of a short ball, absolutely wow," added Chopra.
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Mayank Agarwal was unfortunate to miss a century by just a solitary run. His 99-run knock was studded with eight fours and four maximums, with Rabada being smacked for a straight six apart from one over mid-wicket.
"Mayank Agarwal's knock will give him a lot of confidence" - Irfan Pathan
Meanwhile, Irfan Pathan said that Mayank Agarwal did not let the pressure of captaincy affect his game and that the knock will surely bolster his confidence.
"Mayank Agarwal's knock today will give him a lot of confidence. The pressure of captaincy can either make you or break you but it has brought out the best in him," said Pathan.
With KL Rahul unlikely to be available for the rest of IPL 2021, Agarwal will have to shoulder the responsibility of taking the Punjab Kings into the playoffs. The 30-year-old has a tough task ahead of him, with the 2014 finalists currently placed sixth after playing 8 matches.