Mayank Agarwal describes the feeling when skipper Virat asked him to hold the trophy

Team India lifted the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2018-19 with a 2-1 series win in Australia. It was a historic occasion since Virat Kohli & Co. became the first team not just from India but from the whole of Asia to win a Test series on Australian soil. The man in the centre of the iconic picture holding the trophy was not Kohli, it was Mayank Agarwal.

The 27-year-old had just made his debut a couple of Tests ago. The Boxing Day was his stage, he claimed it with a calm, composed and conscious knock. Agarwal appeared comfortable and gave a sense that he belonged to this level. He was called in after both the openers KL Rahul and Murali Vijay failed in the first two games, it was his chance to make it count, to literally seal a spot and he did.

Mayank takes centre stage

It was Kohli who led the team to the podium, but he stopped the youngster gave him the centre stage and the skipper himself watched it from the corner. Agarwal described it as a big moment and an incredible feeling to be able to do that. He also considers himself lucky to have lived the moment.

“When we all were going to the victory podium to celebrate our title win Virat Kohli stopped me and said – “you hold the trophy”. It was an incredible feeling. It is really a big moment for a cricketer. I am lucky to have lived that moment,” Agarwal told Timesofindia.com in an exclusive interview.

His debut was a huge occasion, there were 70,000 odd fans in the stadium. Team India had elected to bat first, he was walking out there and knew things couldn’t get better. Mayank said he was nervous but one didn’t get a sense of it with the way he batted, played his shots and soon was dominating the most dominant Australian bowler Nathan Lyon.

“I wasn’t thinking in terms of pressure. I was just excited to become a part of the Indian side against a big team (Australia). I had a great opportunity and I am happy with my performance,” Mayank told TimesofIndia.com.

He cherishes the opportunity to have shared the space with players like Virat, Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane who are stalwarts in the team.

“Sharing the dressing room with these seniors was a great experience. It was a huge learning curve for me. I wish to continue to serve my country in the future too,” he signed off.

Agarwal concluded the series with a couple of 70s, is a certain starter when India next play a Test and with a first-class average of over 50 and his rich seasons of having piled on the runs in domestic cricket looks set for a long career at the top level.

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