Almost every youngster in Indian cricket cherishes the joy of batting alongside the skipper, Virat Kohli, and the Test opener, Mayank Agarwal has a similar sort of a feeling. He gearing up for his first Test on home soil and he keen to apply the experiences he has gained from the tours of Australia and West Indies.

Crediting Kohli for bringing intensity, Agarwal recalled when during the Jamaica Tes, he along with Kohli batted out the next 25 overs, adding 69 runs for the third wicket before the partnership was broken by Holder. Looking back at that stand, Agarwal spoke about his learning from batting with Kohli.

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As per the quotes in Times of India, Agarwal said, “Virat came into bat about a half-hour before lunch. The first thing we spoke about was getting a partnership going. We said, ‘Let’s not take any chance, let’s hold on to both ends till lunch and then come out.’ After lunch, Virat went bang, bang, bang and suddenly upped the ante. What I took from Virat’s batting is intensity and mindset in terms of how he looks at and reads situations. He also brings in a lot of energy. He is the guy at the forefront, leading by example.”

Before Agarwal made his international debut against Australia last December, he was performing on a consistent basis for India A and domestic cricket. Ahead of the Test series against West Indies, Agarwal played a couple of A games against them, scoring 81 at Port-of-Spain.

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Talking about the same, Mayank said, “I think it helps tremendously. Every country is putting out quality teams when you are playing A team tournaments. There is no better preparation than the A-series. It is great to be in an environment where you have to be at your best always because there is no room for being casual or complacent. It not only helps the players, but it also helps cricket in India. I don’t believe there is competition on the team. We are with each other, playing with each other, against an opposition.”

Agarwal has scored three half-centuries from seven Test innings and while he has gained a decent experience from playing in contrasting conditions of Australia and West Indies, the 28-year-old’s basics remain same. However, now, the three-match Test series against South  Africa will keep him busy for the Vijay Hazare Trophy, but with the Ranji Trophy scheduled to begin the second week of December, Agarwal is likely to return for Karnataka’s Ranji Trophy campaign, since he values domestic cricket a lot. 

Describing the same, Mayank concluded, “I believe in playing a lot of matches. Domestic cricket in my opinion is very important.  Whatever you do, you cannot forget that it is the foundation. There is a lot of grind and situation you go through in domestic cricket, so it teaches you a lot as a person and a cricketer. When I was younger, there were times when I didn’t know if I would play international cricket. It felt like I was in the middle of the sea, but domestic cricket teaches you to just continue swimming.”