END OF A LONG WAIT

Making way for Mayank

by Shirshendu Roy • Last updated on

Mayank has been in sizzling form in the domestic circuit for a while. © Getty

Vadodara. Saturday, September 29, 8.50 PM.

Arsenal are playing Watford and a 'big time Arsenal fan' is glued to it while on call with his mum.

"Mayank, it's out on news," she exclaims and it's festive time at the Agarwals. Why wouldn't it be? It's been a long time coming after all. Table-topping 1160 Ranji Trophy runs, 723 Vijay Hazare Trophy runs, twin hundreds on England tour, double hundred against South Africa A, and a hundred and a fifty in the Quadrangular Series last month. Mayank Agarwal had just been called up for the first time to India's Test squad for the two-match series against the Windies.

Unconfirmed reports had already been all over the place when Mayank was in the middle, plundering the Windies bowlers at the Reliance Cricket Ground. Asked if he had any clue of the same, Mayank tells Cricbuzz, "Nothing during the game. Just that Abhay [Sharma] sir (Board Presidents XI coach) told me that you have a good chance of getting picked, stay in the zone, it was good to know."

Mayank had a superb outing, scoring 90 at a strike of 81. A few hours had passed since, yet there was no official confirmation.

And then, the news arrived.

"My family was extremely happy. When I got the news, I was extremely happy. I was here in my room, I spoke to my family, they were just too happy. It's a special moment for us and I am really happy that we could share it," Mayank recollects. "I spoke to my mum, dad, grandfather, grandmother, my wife, elder brother, bhabhi (sister-in-law), all of them, all were thrilled, some very good moments on the phone."

Mayank's plate of runs had become too heavy for the selectors to overlook him. Recently, when he was not considered for the Asia Cup in Dubai even when India were resting some of their top guns, the public backlash was strong. The chairman of selectors, MSK Prasad, had mentioned that he's "a step away from national call-up."

It was not the first time he had come close to a call-up, thus making every selection news anxiously awaited. Doesn't that put a lot of pressure on him and his game? He says he has his 'ways of keeping out of it.' "To be honest, I am not very tech savvy [when asked about checking news on Twitter]. We had a lot of games, we were playing a lot, it wasn't like I had nothing in mind or nothing to do, that wasn't the case.

"We were playing a lot of India A games and I am glad that we are doing that - it helps us, to be playing in different conditions - it keeps your mind occupied. It was like waking up next day trying to win a game, as professionals, we are trained to do that and we look forward to it. Obviously, yes, I would be lying if I said I hadn't thought about it but yes, I have my ways of keeping out of it. And at the end of it, whatever has to happen will happen, right? I have said that before, me thinking about it or doing something about it is not going to change anything."

And then there are people who would remind him of the buzz around selection, while all he wants to do is play games, score runs and be in that zone. "Obviously, that's going to happen, and it does. [people reminding you that today the team might be announced] A lot of people also come and give advice, it is important to hear them out yet distance yourself from that," Mayank notes.

Amid all this, Mayank reveals being spoken to by the selectors, without divulging the details.

It's not been a ride without its share of bumps. A cricketer's life is in the public domain - he succeeds in public, he fails in public too. And while he had been raking in runs everywhere, he failed to replicate it at the 2018 IPL. Having not seen a low in a long time, did Mayank have self doubts? Did he feel that the IPL low could undo all his good work in recent times?

"IPL is a big, big platform. Doing well in an IPL obviously makes a big difference. I felt that I let myself down. Should have got runs but then post the IPL when I sat down and thought about it and looked back at the two months, I said that, okay, I have had a bad IPL but also I have got good learnings from it. Then I told myself that I wouldn't look at just one tournament at a time, yes two months weren't the best but it was good in terms of learning experiences.

"I never thought, "will it undo?" But I was very disappointed that the performances didn't come. I didn't want to narrow it down to one thing, if I had to look at it in one full year, in one full calendar year, if you have done well in four of the five, I think you should be a happy man."

Mayank has been a regular feature in the India A setup and attributes a lot of success to the consistent tours he's had with the side. That has not just allowed him to embrace different challenges but also kept him so occupied that he's not had enough space in his mind to clog it with selection anxiety. And just as the conversations lead into his India A experiences, he cannot help but make an obvious mention of Rahul [Dravid] bhai.

"If I need a feedback, if I am looking for something in my batting or if there's just something or anything wrong..."

It's not just India A that brings them together but also the state team Karnataka, of which Dravid was a part for many, many years. While India A has become cricket's finishing school in the country, Karnataka itself is contributing a lot towards it. Apart from Mayank, the likes of KL Rahul, Karun Nair, Manish Pandey are all in India's top bracket of young cricketers. And Mayank isn't surprised with that at all.

"Karnataka is very, very process oriented. We look to work hard, create a good culture in the team, look to win tournaments. In the process of doing this, we eventually help each other out and take others through. At India A, Rahul bhai says, if it's your day, take your team through. If you are in a good run of form, take everyone through.

"So much depends on the culture and the system that is back home... when you are playing for a big [cricket] state, doesn't mean others are not big states, but when you are playing for states like Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Mumbai, Bengal... you never get it easy. You are never into the Ranji Trophy side just like that... if you have a couple of up and down performances, it could be hard work all over again, it could be back to zero. Those are the things that help you. You work hard for it, you cherish it, you fight for it."

Amid his resounding success, there's no denying that Mayank has had to wait for his chance to arrive. Not known for batting for long hours till some time back, Mayank has perfected that aspect of his game too, through a lot of sessions with his batting coach RX Murali. But it was not just his batting that needed dollops of patience, it was his mind too that needed it.

Is patience as much a skill as any other batting skill?

He nods.

"I think vipassana has helped a lot. Just understanding yourself better, be aware of your thoughts. I took to this form of meditation when I was 18 years old, I have been doing it since then. My father introduced me to it, he actually forced me into it [laughs] and I wasn't very happy about it at that time. It gives you immediate results, you see a lot of positives, but also gives you a lot of long term results like accepting things for how they are, accepting yourself for how you are, also knowing what's running in your head. It really helps you navigate through such phases better.

"I do it everyday. 20-30 minutes everyday."

There's been a lot of chaos since Saturday night. Mayank's phone hasn't stopped buzzing, with messages from well-wishers to interview requests. He's just returned after finishing the two-day practice game and understandably, there's a bit of chaos in his room too, match clothes, training clothes scattered across a table and a chair. But that doesn't catch your attention. What does is a neatly done bed with the India A cap right in the center.

Mayank's head is in the right place.

© Cricbuzz

TAGS

RELATED STORIES