I am somebody who isn’t going to give up – Mayank Agarwal on India’s future

Mayank Agarwal has had a tough last few months. Agarwal didn’t have the best of runs while leading Punjab Kings as he could only manage 196 runs in12 innings for the Mohali-based franchise in IPL 2022. Furthermore, the Karnataka batter is out of the reckoning from India’s Test squad as batters like KL Rahul and Shubman Gill have grabbed their chances.

However, Agarwal revealed that he is not somebody who is going to give up that easily. The right-hander who had made a terrific start to his Test career against Australia has made a fine return to form while playing in the ongoing Maharaja Trophy KSCA T20 2022 while leading Bengaluru Blasters.

Agarwal scored a fine knock of 112 runs against Gulbarga Mystics in the qualifier contest and he has returned with scores of 43, 44, and 102 not out in the tournament. The 31-year-old has revealed that he is trying to modify his game and is seen playing shots like reverse sweeps and sweeps against the fast bowlers, which is paying him rich dividends.

Agarwal is currently the highest run-getter in the tournament as he has scored 480 runs in 11 matches at an average of 53.33 and a blistering strike rate of 167.25.

“I am somebody who isn’t going to give up,” Mayank Agarwal told ESPNcricinfo while talking about his future in international cricket.

“I am going to keep chasing it and improve my game with each passing day. I will be very happy with whatever comes my way, but the aspirations and dreams never die,” the opening batter added. “It’s about going out there, improving and ticking all those boxes.”

The Karnataka batter revealed that he has worked really hard on his batting in the last four months and he is reaping the rewards.

“In the last four months, I’ve really worked hard on my batting. As you can see, I’ve started sweeping and reverse-sweeping the ball, that too against the fast bowlers,” Agarwal said about the work he has put in to improve his limited-overs batting.

“I’ve opened up four-five areas in my game which are paying rich dividends. I am very happy that the hard work I put in is paying off now,” he added.

“Getting two hundred in a T20 tournament like the Maharaja Trophy feels amazing. It feels really nice when the players respond to you the way you want. Obviously runs behind my back really makes me feel good and then I can lead from the front,” he said.

Meanwhile, Bengaluru Blasters will face either Gulbarga Mystics or Mysore Warriors in the final of Maharaja T20 Trophy.