Australia vs India 2018: Rahul Dravid is There to Help Us - Mayank Agarwal

Youngsters doing well and crediting Rahul Dravid for their success has been the story ever since. Be it Prithvi Shaw, Siddharth Kaul, Shubman Gill or even Mayank Agarwal, they all have been thankful to ‘The Wall’. At the MCG, Mayank made his Test debut and scored a fifty plus total. In the following Test at the SCG, the right-hander hit a brilliant 77 in the first innings before falling to Nathan Lyon. Meanwhile, Mayank Agarwal revealed Rahul Dravid injecting confidence post the MCG Test helped him a lot.

Rahul’s advice helped me – Mayank

Leaving no stone unturned in crediting Dravid for his success, Mayank said playing under the veteran cannot do wrong to anyone. Furthermore, the youngster said touring New Zealand A under Rahul Dravid’s guidance helped him improve his game a lot. He also opined Dravid’s golden words helped him guide the ladder.

“Runs gives you lot of confidence. The more you play it gives you confidence and belief in your game. I think those runs have really helped me and have given me a lot of confidence. They have helped me stay within myself.

“Obviously playing under Dravid is good. We, as batsmen, speak about our technique and the game, and he is out there to help us, guide us and help us climb the ladder. And his advice has been really helpful. He told me to think about how to manage my mental energy and that’s something we have spoken about for 4-6 months.”

‘I will not repeat the mistake’ – Mayank Agarwal

However, the batsman opened up about his dismissal on day one of the fourth Test. As he hit off-spinner, Nathan Lyon for off a six a previous ball, Mayank thought of opening his arms again on the next delivery. Though he looked convincing in his approach, the opener didn’t find the middle of the bat and thus found Starc in the deep.

Admitting his mistake, and putting forward his word of not repeating it, Mayank Agarwal said he was disappointed in not getting it big after such a start.

“I am quite disappointed for missing out on a big score. With that said, it’s a learning curve. If I don’t make this mistake again, it will be a good learning. I was looking to dominate Nathan Lyon and it didn’t work out. Really disappointed that I threw my wicket,”