IPL 2022 | Mayank Agarwal’s batting has been affected ever since he became PBKS captain, reckons Virender Sehwag

04/08/2022

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Former India cricketer Virender Sehwag believes that Mayank Agarwal’s batting form has been affected since he has become the captain of Punjab Kings for IPL 2022. Sehwag further advised the PBKS skipper to just focus on his batting and forget that he has the role of captain or something else.

The new season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) has commenced with 10 teams and a lot of squads have a new outlook with changes in their squad after the mega auction. Also, some franchises have started the season with new leadership. One such team is Punjab Kings and Mayank Agarwal is leading them for this season. So far, they have won two matches out of the three they played.

They have won against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) by five wickets and then against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) by 54 runs. However, the form of Mayank Agarwal is a cause of worry for the team. In the three matches, he has scores of 32, 1, and 4. Former India cricketer Virender Sehwag is of the opinion that Mayank Agarwal’s captaincy is affecting his batting.

"No matter how he captains the side, he has a really good bowling line-up that can control proceedings. Mayank's batting has been affected ever since he has become the captain. If you talk about his form until last year, he was consistent. He should focus on his batting and forget that he has the role of a captain or something else. He should just bat freely without any pressure,” Sehwag said to Cricbuzz.

Sehwag also advised the opener to show an attacking intent from ball one.

"Because this is the format to showcase hitting skills because in ODIs or Tests, you need to be cautious. But as far as T20s are concerned, the format allows you to start attacking from the word go," he added.

PBKS will be up against Gujarat Titans on Friday at Brabourne Stadium.