INTERVIEW | Mayank Agarwal looking to improve his strike rate ahead of IPL 2022

Express press service

At a time when Indian batters were looking to win the Orange Cap as a way to crack the national white ball setup, Mayank Agarwal is an outlier.

He admits he made a conscious decision to keep an eye on his strike rate while playing in the Indian Premier League (IPL). These kinds of shows.

Of the batters who regularly open or enter at No. 3, the Punjab Kings lad is the only one to score over 140 in each of the past three seasons.

He explains why he pays special attention to this aspect of his game. In a conversation with this daily, he also becomes intimate with the matches, his batting prowess and the challenges of being a batter in South African conditions. Excerpts:

As an India international, what are you working on in the Ranji Trophy?

Honestly, going into a Ranji Trophy game, I’m not looking to work on anything. It is still India’s premier domestic competition and it is not for an international player to train. It’s about getting out there, scoring points and helping your team win games.

You are someone who has always played Ranji Trophy whenever you were available. When that wasn’t the case last year, what did you do for your red ball training?

You see, I don’t consider Ranji a red ball practice. This is a serious and top-tier competition. And we are playing there to win this competition. We have lots of facilities, there is National Cricket Academy where you can go and play… I am also working on my red ball skills with RX (Muralidhar) sir in his academy.

IPL in the United Arab Emirates, Tests against New Zealand and South Africa, now Ranji… you have played in multiple formats, conditions and bubbles over the last 4-5 months. What were the challenges?

Very grateful that even in this state we can play cricket. That the Ranji Trophy is taking place during this period, I think it’s a good thing.

Many domestic cricketers are looking forward to this… thanks to BCCI for bringing domestic cricket back to life.

As for life in a bubble, I’m grateful to have the opportunity to play even if it’s in a bubble. I see this as an opportunity.

After playing against New Zealand in India, you had the series in South Africa, two very different conditions. How do you adapt?

We had the test series against New Zealand in India. I was very happy with the way I hit, I scored a lot of points. We prepared very well for the series against South Africa.

But the conditions are different. There’s a lot more bounce, a lot more seam, and there’s a lot more help for the point guards. We were well prepared and I thought it was a hard fought series.

Can you talk a bit about the technical aspects… the challenge of playing an Ajaz Patel on the first morning in Mumbai and Marco Jansen at the Centurion?

(Laughs) I’m not someone who makes too many technical adjustments during the season. But yes, you need to make minor adjustments. When there’s more rebound, you want to be on your feet, you want to try and master the rebound.

When playing spin in India it’s all about using your feet more, trying to get closer to the ball so you don’t allow it to spin a lot, then using your crease when playing on the foot back.

In South Africa you really have to change the game plan in terms of how you’re going to attack them, what shots you’re going to play and be very disciplined in sticking to the shots you want to play.

Among the current crop of Indian beaters, you are one of the best against spinners. How did you develop this?

As Indian gamers, we grow up playing a lot of spin. It’s something I’ve practiced a lot.

Even though I’m an opening hitter, to make big runs in India you absolutely have to play a lot of spins. I practiced a lot with Mr. RX (Muralidharan) in his academy.

We pick a mud area and then he throws a lot of balls and I practice playing spin turn and spin bounce and all that. There are lots of turns and bounces on these muddy surfaces.

As for the white ball aspect of your game, at a time when a few Indian hitters prioritized the Cape Orange win, you focused on strike rates. Is it a conscious decision?

Yes, this is something I consciously look at. For me, it depends on the role you have been assigned. But also, as someone who beats the order, if I play in the middle, I would look to dominate the bowling because that helps the team.

I think that puts the team in a much better position for hitters coming in next. They have a little more time to settle. I don’t look at “races, races as such”, but I look more in terms of “what do I do, how do I contribute to the success of the team”?

I would watch a 15-ball 30, 15-ball 35 as important as a 70 or an 80 not out because if those scores help you win, then that’s all I’m looking for…they should help the game. team to win.

Would you say this is your best technique on the white ball, looking for both pace and first-ball spin?

I wouldn’t say I look for pacers and spinners on the first pitch. But definitely, I calculate and look to put the pressure back on the bowlers and that’s one of my strengths.

Choosing matches, studying data…are you interested?

I watch the bowlers and their skills, but I’m not big on matchups. The data is good but I don’t trust it blindly. If on any given day, if a right-handed hitter has to take a chance against a left arm spinner or a leg spinner, as a right-handed hitter, I have to do it.

Because that’s what the situation demands and I can’t think of myself. Definitely factoring in the risk factor, awareness and intelligence to the extent that we actually have to take that risk or if you have a lefty that is set… you know you can probably mix and match .

With this aspect, it’s more about cricket awareness and intelligence than pure matches and blindly going by the numbers.

Given the schedule – only one in nine tests away from the subcontinent over the next 12 months – the focus will be on rotating surface practice. Are you preparing like this?

I don’t really think too far ahead. I know in the next three months these two tournaments (Sri Lanka Tests and Indian Premier League) are here and I am working hard for that. When the time comes, we will have enough time to prepare… I don’t want to step forward thinking 5-6-7-8 months ahead and forget what happens in the next 2-3 months .