BENGALURU: If there is one trait which has defined Mayank Agarwal from age-group cricket, it is putting team above self.
No stage is too small for the Karnataka skipper. The India player may sound repetitive when he speaks about following a process, but that’s what holds him in good stead, as it did for the 626 minutes during which he batted.
The result was a match-defining, well-constructed 249 runs (429b; 28x4; 5x6) over five sessions which powered Karnataka to a competitive first innings score of 407 on the second day in their Ranji Trophy semifinal against Saurashtra. This was his second double century this Ranji season.
If Agarwal was the showstopper at the M Chinnaswamy stadium on Thursday, the pace trio of Vidwath Kaverappa, V Koushik and Vyshak Vijaykumar performed the role of ‘all-rounders’ with aplomb. First, they roughed it out with the skipper and then troubled the opposition with the ball. After a shaky start, Saurashtra recovered to end the day at 76/2, trailing the hosts by 331 runs.
Resuming on 110, Agarwal was all heart and solid technique. The first day was about being defensive but the 31-year-old switched to being a dasher on Thursday. He latched on to every scoring opportunity but with minimal risk — the sign of a supremely confident player in fine form.
Saurashtra started the day with the new ball but that didn’t impact Agarwal’s approach as he dispatched pacer Kushang Patel (3/109) for consecutive boundaries. Saurashtra struck in the sixth over of the day with left-arm pacer Chetan Sakariya (3/73) trapping Sharath in the front to bring the curtains down on a fine 139-run association. K Gowtham gifted his wicket by steering Chirag Jani to Mankad at second slip. But at the other end, Agarwal showcased his repertoire, scoring 75 of the 106 runs which the first session produced.
One of the highlights for Karnataka was the way the pacers applied themselves with the bat. The trio did not contribute much individually, but added 152 runs with Agarwal for the last three wickets. Kaverappa and Agarwal’s ninth-wicket stand alone realised 91 runs.
Agarwal's celebration was relatively muted when he brought up his double hundred in 367 deliveries. But in an anti-climax, he was dismissed one short of the 250-mark while attempting to steal a single.
With the pitch still aiding the pacers, Kaverappa collared Snell Patel (0) and Vishvarajsinh Jadeja (22) with his seaming deliveries. At the other end, Koushik, who bowled wicket-to-wicket, put the batters under pressure with seven consecutive maiden overs in his first spell. But Harvik Desai (27 batting) and Sheldon Jackson (27 batting) brought about some stability before close.
Karnataka will hope that Jackson’s dropped catch on 23, by R Samarth off Koushik, does not come back to bite them.
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