IPL 2021: [Watch] Mayank Agarwal does a Rishabh Pant in the Punjab Kings nets
Punjab Kings opener Mayank Agarwal played a one-handed lofted drive during a nets session, reminiscent of what Rishabh Pant pulled off during the ODIs against England.
Pant hit one-handed sixes in the second and third games of the recently-concluded ODI series against England.
On Wednesday, Punjab Kings took to their official social media accounts to post a video of Mayank Agarwal from his practice session. In the video, the 30-year-old is seen playing a range of shots.
He began with a crunching drive and followed it up with a flat-bat pull before bringing out the one-handed loft. On completing the stroke, Mayank Agarwal tried to recreate MS Dhoni’s iconic ‘bat-swinging’ follow through associated with his helicopter shot.
While posting the video, Punjab Kings wrote:
“Drive ➡Flat-bat pull ➡One-handed loft. Sound & enjoy #SaddaPunjab #PunjabKings #IPL2021.”
Mayank Agarwal had a decent run with the bat in IPL 2020 for Punjab Kings. He scored 424 runs in 11 matches at a strike rate of 156.45, with one hundred and two fifties.
The Team India opener, however, has had a tough time in international cricket of late. Mayank Agarwal played in three of the four Tests in Australia but only managed a highest score of 38.
He did not feature in a single Test match during the series against England, as Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill opened in all four matches. Mayank Agarwal wasn’t picked in the IPL squad for the subsequent limited-overs matches either.
Mayank Agarwal and KL Rahul formed an impressive opening pair in IPL 2020
With his international career having suffered a setback, Mayank Agarwal will be looking forward to the IPL to convince the selectors of his return to form. Last season, Mayank Agarwal and skipper KL Rahul provided a number of attractive starts for Punjab Kings at the top of the order.
Speaking of Rahul, the Punjab Kings opener said during an interaction with ANI:
"Well, KL Rahul is terrific, and it is amazing to be playing with him. This is the fourth year that we would be playing for Punjab, and it is really nice. We understand each other's games; we gel really well. That communication on the field becomes a lot easier because of the friendship we have.”
Rahul won the IPL Orange Cap last season, amassing 670 runs in 14 games. Punjab Kings, though, finished sixth. They will begin their IPL 2021 campaign by taking on Rajasthan Royals in Mumbai on April 12.
Get the full IPL 2021 timetable here.