"Process-oriented" Mayank Agarwal finds his mojo
December 1927 and November 2017 have a peculiar connection in the statistical world of cricket. In these two months, separated by a Brobdingnagian 90 years, a batsman scored more than 1000 runs at the first-class level.
The timeline could lead you to believe that these batsmen were Don Bradman and Virat Kohli. The exploit is in sync with what you would expect from batsmen of such enormous stature. Yet, it isn't.
Bill Ponsford, the Victorian who had a penchant for breaking records in First-class cricket (he broke the record for the highest score twice) and who is among only two players - Brian Lara being the other - to have scored 400 or more in an innings in First-class cricket (437 against Queensland in just his third First-class match), is the first of those names.
He amassed a whopping 1146 runs in December 1927 with scores of 133, 437, 202, 38 and 336. Almost a century later, another batsman matched his feat and he isn't one of the most celebrated names in First-class cricket. The 26-year-old Karnataka batsman from India, Mayank Agarwal slammed a triple hundred against Maharashtra early in November 2017, before continuing his bout of form with four more hundreds, taking his tally of runs in the month (28 days) to 1064.
“It is an extremely good feeling to get a triple hundred. I have never got that in any form at any level of cricket. It is a special feeling to achieve that feat,” Mayank said in an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda.
While a striking feature of Mayank’s batting this season has been the strike rate (68.38), something he has managed without taking undue risks, the Karnataka batsman insists that he loves playing himself in before getting into his natural attacking mindset.
“My mindset varies according to the different formats of the game. It also varies from situation to situation. If I have to talk exclusively about Ranji cricket, I try and understand the conditions, get acclimatised, then play myself in and then see how it goes,” Mayank expressed.
Playing the “situation” is something his India 'A' coach at one time, Rahul Dravid, often stressed upon. “This concept of ‘play your natural game’, which I hear all the time, frustrates me because there’s no such thing in my belief as a ‘natural game’. It’s only about how you play different situations,” Dravid had once said as revealed by the Indian Express.
It is something which Agarwal has brought into his game. Dravid recalled a time in 2015 when Mayank was dropped from the Karnataka First-class squad. In a side packed with stars, youngsters like Mayank had to consistently churn out runs to remain in contention. With zero First-class hundreds at the time, it was next to impossible for him to stake his claim. But that was a “wake-up call” for Mayank the batsman.
This season, Karnataka were bestowed with some big names, with India opting to relieve KL Rahul and Manish Pandey of their national duties. Add to that the presence of Test triple-centurion, Karun Nair and the team had a daunting line-up.
But it wasn't any of these big names that made an impact in Karnataka's unbeaten surge to the quarter-finals of the Ranji Trophy. At the helm of it all was the 26-year-old opener who is on a run-scoring spree.
The presence of a trusting opening partner in Ravi Samarth has also helped Mayank. “I thoroughly enjoy batting with Samarth. We have had quite a few good opening partnerships together this season.”
The opening batsman has VVS Laxman’s record of most runs in a Ranji season well in his sights. He needs a further 382 runs and given Karnataka's current form and his own, the young batsman might very well get a shot at the record though he insists that he isn't a “numbers man”.
“Taking the team to victory is my sole motivation,” Agarwal insisted. Sharing a dressing room with the likes of MS Dhoni, Steven Smith and Ben Stokes during the IPL has helped him get acquainted with the nuances of being in an International dressing room environment.
Agarwal has learned a lot from watching former Indian skipper Dhoni. “It was a dream sharing a dressing room with exceptional International cricketers. By chatting with them, we get a lot of inputs about our game. From Dhoni, for instance, I learnt about things you could control, things you couldn't control and staying away from those you couldn't quite control. Focussing your energy on the process and matters at hand is more important,” he recalled of his time in the Rising Pune Supergiant dressing room.
That learning experience has perhaps helped him remain focussed on the present and not worry about things like selection. He isn't losing sleep over rumours about a possible call-up to the Indian team. The Karnataka opener understands that those are matters that aren't quite in his control.
He, however, has tried to make the most of what is in his control. Since topping the run charts for the country in the 2010 Under-19 World Cup, Mayank has often been seen as a limited-overs specialist.
The motivation that emerged from being dropped from the Ranji side in 2015 made him a stronger person and helped him get the monkey off his back a year later. A first hundred in the longest version of the game in 2016 instilled more self-belief in him.
But, for most outstanding batsmen, there is a season where they perform beyond expectations, trample over opposition bowlers and emerge as the star of their team. That has materialised in 2017 for Mayank, when he followed up twin ducks in October with a breathtaking triple hundred in his next outing. Since then, the youngster hasn't looked back.
A revamped lifestyle and training program have also helped him. “To be honest, I have been working on my technique for the past two-three years. This year, I have a better understanding of where I am at. Obviously there is a little fine tuning but I haven't altered my technique, just understood it a little better. Every batsman is different and understanding my own game is of the utmost importance. A lot of skills-based training has also helped me.”
An unrelenting fitness regime has also played a role. The routine, which involves a lot of running and endurance tests, has kept his fitness at peak levels. It could also help him clear the yo-yo test when the India call-up eventually comes his way. “I have taken the test but am not sure if I have cleared or not. The last time I did the test I scored 19.1. But the India call-up isn't on my mind. I prefer not thinking along those lines,” Mayank stressed while stating that he was happy to have upped his fitness levels.
While there has been a lot of speculation surrounding the team selection for the Sri Lanka Test series and later the South African tour, the Karnataka opener has steered clear of such rumours. He is particular about not thinking of things that aren't in his control, preferring to instead stick to his “process”.
Like most kids who first take to the game for the sheer enjoyment they derive from it, Mayank Agarwal prefers to enjoy his batting, focus on the present and go with the process that has worked for him. With the purple patch he has found at the moment, there is no reason why he shouldn't.