IND vs SA | Virat Kohli's positivity and intent is tremendous, says Mayank Agarwal
Mayank Agarwal was impressed at the pace at which Virat Kohli piled up the runs and believes that he has bought the bowlers enough time to skim out 20 South African wickets. Virat Kohli scored an unbeaten 254 on the second day of the Pune Test to put India in the driver's seat.
It was again a day of sheer Indian dominance in the second Test match of the series which was characterised by a display of brilliant stroke play by skipper Virat Kohli (254*) and Ravindra Jadeja (91). The unbeaten 254 is King Kohli’s highest individual score while Jadeja missed a well-deserved century by just nine runs. The pair put up a partnership of 225 runs in only 39.1 overs. Kohli’s double century came at a staggering strike rate of 75.59 as he peppered 35 boundaries, which includes two sixes, during his 336-ball stay at the crease.
"Definitely, it has put us in driver's seat and it's not just the amount of runs but at what pace those runs have come has made a huge difference," Agarwal, who notched up his second consecutive ton on the first day of the Test match, told news18.
Indian pacers also rose to the opportunity as they scalped three wickets in just 15 overs they bowled before stumps on day two, reducing the Proteas to 36 for 3.
"The double hundred has given the team extra session and a half, which becomes very crucial. The partnership between Virat and Jadeja was fabulous and almost at run-a-ball 230-odd (225), which is fabulous. If you are looking to win games, then you want to have that time to get 20 wickets," said the Karnataka opener.
"To get a 250, it's no joke and way he is batting is tremendous. The positivity and intent are fabulous. The records and his scores, prove everything that we all need to see (learn)."
Agarwal believes that the 178-run partnership between skipper Kohli and vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane set the tone for the mammoth total of 601 that India has put on the board. Both Kohli and Rahane played out the tricky first session of the second day, which made all the difference at the end, with utmost patience, precision and perseverance.
"Virat and Rahane during the last evening, around hour and half, when ball was doing a bit under lights, played really tight. They didn't give opposition a wicket, in the first session and that put us in driver's seat and we could do what we did in the second session." the young opener said.
When asked about his uncanny consistency since 2017, Mayank explained how he focused on ‘what to do’ instead of running after instant results.
"You need to put a mark (target) and make sure that at the end of the year, whatever time (frame) you have set, you tick those boxes. Sometimes you put in effort and it's not like you get instant result. You have to keep doing your things, keep ticking the boxes, keep improving, putting in performances year after year, the selection will eventually come."
Agarwal didn’t forget his roots as he also credited his long spell with India A team for his success. He piled up tons of runs while touring with the India A team which helped him prepare for the International stage.
"India A games really helped to bridge the gap between domestic and international cricket, because the kind of (domestic) teams you are facing and kind of teams other countries are fielding, for those games are top quality. So you know that you are almost playing international standard bowling.”