All of this still feels like a dream, asserts Mayank Agarwal

Agarwal was rewarded for a dream run at the domestic level in 2017 with his maiden Test call-up as India toured Australia late last year. By the end of the series, he’d caught the eye of several pundits of the game. However, the run didn't stop there, as one by one, Agarwal has ticked off long-term dreams, including a spot at the World Cup. 

“Definitely didn't believe any of this. It's unreal. Now it just feels like I'm in a dream. It feels terrific to have all of this and I'm very grateful for whatever has happened. There was a debut at MCG, then a World Cup call-up and some other things,” Agarwal told ESPNCricinfo.

“When we won the series Down Under, that was a special feeling. Never felt anything like that. Getting picked for the World Cup was also a very different feeling, a very nice feeling. And India being on top of the World Test Championship right now and the kind of cricket we're playing - it's also a very great feeling to be part of such a set-up,” he said.

Having said all that, Agarwal is now back to where it all started for him, as he prepares to represent Karnataka in Ranji Trophy. With India only playing another Test series in February — away to New Zealand — Agarwal may even get to play the entire group stage. 

“Really looking forward to playing Ranji Trophy. It is this tournament - and having scored runs in this tournament - that got me going up. So, obviously it is big. And domestic cricket in India is very valuable. You could've played international cricket, but when you come back and play domestic cricket in India, it challenges you. And challenges you in different ways,” Agarwal said.

Having just bagged both the domestic limited-overs trophies — Vijay Hazare Trophy and Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 — Karnataka have the rare opportunity to go for a treble. 

“We're still hungry; we're not satisfied. We want to play more and I want to try and see what are the best possible ways I can contribute to that. To be honest, we're not focusing on the end result. We've played good cricket this year. So there is a process that we've followed to play the kind of cricket that we're playing. And we'd like to stick to that. The goal is to reach there (the title and complete a treble),” Agarwal added.