"FIRST THING WAS ABOUT ACCEPTING THAT HE WAS NO SEHWAG" - SAYS COACH

From wanting to become a pilot as a child to become a capped India cricketer, Mayank Agarwal has come a long way.

Mayank Agarwal, from his school days, idolized Virender Sehwag and also started batting like him with the aggressive intent. His hitting ability was what got him selected in the 2010 ICC Under -19 world cup where he was the leading run-scorer for India. However, that approach didn't allow him to perform consistently, as he didn't score a single century in his first 3 First-Class seasons.

His Childhood coach Murali then had a long chat with him saying "I reassured him that he had the game. But the first thing was about accepting that he was no Sehwag". Agarwal then put his foot down and practiced hard, which lead to him having a great 2017-18 season where he was the leading runscorer across all formats in domestic cricket with 2141 runs, which is also the highest total by any batsman in an Indian domestic season. He has continued the good form ever since that led to his call up to the Indian test team, and made his debut at the MCG on a boxing day. He came out with flying colors scoring two 50's out of the 3 innings, providing solidity to India's wobbling top order.

In the IPL, however, he is yet to make a mark for himself. He made an impressive 58 off 34 deliveries against the Kolkata Knight Riders, which was his first IPL fifty since 2015. But with his recent India debut and with the kind of form he has been in, he will be looking to have a good season and push for a spot in the Limited overs side as well.