Career at crossroads, Mayank Agarwal returns to basics | Cricket News – Times of India

BENGALURU: The KSCA ‘B’ ground was a beehive of activity on Thursday morning as some India ‘A’ players went through their paces. But away from the bustle and chatter, in the nets at the far corner, opener Mayank Agarwal worked on his batting. The intensity was ferocious, although he did pause when players like Umran Malik stopped by to greet him. Nor did he miss congratulating them on their call-up for the upcoming red-ball series against New Zealand ‘A’. But deep down he was hurting.
It’s been a tough year for the 31-year-old. He hasn’t played for the country since the day-night Test against Sri Lanka in March and as skipper of Punjab Kings, he turned in a sub-par 196 runs in 12 innings in the Indian Premier League.
Mayank’s international career is at a crossroads, but rather than brood over what could have been, the talented batsman is determined to make a strong comeback. He has
chosen to channel his energy towards working on his flaws. The goal is to be back in India colours.
The Maharaja Trophy KSCA T20 tournament offered him just the platform that he needed – the confidence-building kind. Captain of the Kalyani Bengaluru Blasters, Mayank is currently the leading runs scorer with 480 runs in 11 matches at a strike rate of 167.24. This includes two centuries and a half-century. What’s more, he has been a
revelation as captain.
“I’m very happy with my performance and the way I’m batting,” he said. “I’ve been able to contribute to the team’s success.”

That has always been paramount. After Punjab Kings failed to make the IPL playoffs, Mayank went back to the drawing board to iron out flaws in his game.
“I worked really hard with my coach RX (Murali) sir,” he said. “It wasn’t that I was batting badly during the IPL but I just couldn’t put it together. It was frustrating. I had to work on the mental aspect, which I did. I also worked on a few shots which I’ve been trying out, like the sweep and the reverse sweep. It’s
given me an edge and has borne fruit in this tournament.”
Mayank generally sees low phases as the glass half-full and refuses to dwell on the failures.
“I see it as my season of growth,” he said. “It has been a season of patience and a test of character. Obviously when you face these challenges, you grow. I won’t term it as failure, I see it as a season of improvement. When the chips are down, I simply work harder.”

Mayank likened the phase to turbulence during a flight.
“A flight is not smooth all the time. There is bound to be turbulence. When I go through a lean phase, if I continue to channel my energy on growth, I know I will bounce back.”