Look forward to contributing to RPSG’s success this season: Mayank Agarwal

Mayank Agarwal will be donning a new jersey at the forthcoming IPL. The 26-year old, who was the top run-getter in this season’s domestic T20 competition, was signed up by Rising Pune Supergiant during the transfer window, prior to the player auction. On the eve of joining up with his new team, the Karnataka lad shared his thoughts on the season ahead and his goals for the next six weeks.

Excerpts from the interview with Arun Gopalakrishnan:

Q: IPL Season X is less than a week away. What are your thoughts?

A: I am extremely excited about playing in IPL 2017. This season, I will be turning out for Rising Pune Supergiant. The RPSG dressing room has several outstanding players and some very experienced individuals among the coaching staff. I  look forward to being a part of the dressing room and contributing to the team’s success in the coming weeks.

Q: What is so special about the IPL?

A: The thing that stands out about the IPL is the intensity levels and competitiveness in the league. The tournament runs for about six weeks, and in this brief period a cricketer comes across several challenges; you are playing in an extremely demanding format, against world-class teams, and travel to different venues across the country. Amidst all this, you will come across challenges and situations, and a cricketer is required to adapt to all those challenges very quickly.

For me, every IPL has been a learning opportunity; every season has presented a new set of challenges and I have learnt how to tackle those challenges and high-pressure situations. Applying all those learnings in my game has made me a better cricketer.

Q: You were the top run-getter in T20s this home season. You were also Karnataka’s best batsman in the domestic one-day competition. You must be feeling confident heading into the IPL?

A: I am very confident heading into this IPL; having runs behind your back always helps. It was good to score runs in domestic cricket in the lead up to the IPL, as it  gives you a reality check on where you stand and where you need to improve as a cricketer.

Q: At the start of the season we saw you excel in the longer version too; you were the second-highest run-getter in the Duleep Trophy. Have you made a conscious attempt to change your game so you can play all formats?

A: I have been working on the technical aspects of my game continuously. I am now more aware of the specific needs of the three different formats. I understand that succeeding in the three formats has a lot to do with mindset and approach. Fortunately, the game plans I have devised in this last year are working well for me and I plan to stick to them.

I have also done a vippasana (meditation) course, which has helped me immensely.

Q: What are the goals you have set for the upcoming IPL season?

A: Over the next couple of days, I will interact with the team management and learn about the role they have penned down for me in the team’s scheme of things. The goal is to be successful as a team; I will play the role assigned to me and hope my contributions will lead to RPSG being a successful team.

Mayank Agarwal’s performance in –

Duleep Trophy 2016-17: Matches – 3, Runs – 420, Average – 84.00, 100s – 1, 50s – 4

Vijay Hazare Trophy 2016-17: Matches – 7, Runs – 251, Average – 35.85, 50s – 2

Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2016-17: Matches – 9, Runs – 368, Average – 40.88, Strike Rate – 143.19,              50s – 4