Rahul Dravid's advice has been very helpful: Mayank Agarwal

The ‘Pink Test’ kicked off at the SCG with India gaining an upper hand. Winning the toss and electing to bat first, India were off to a splendid start. Cheteshwar Pujara went on to register his 18th hundred in Test cricket. On the other hand, Mayank Agarwal scored his second fifty on the trot, before losing his wicket to Nathan Lyon.

A century seemed there for the taking but a rash shot resulted in Mayank finding the fielder at long on. The opener went on to score 77 runs. Speaking to the media after the day’s proceedings, Mayank spoke about how Rahul Dravid has been quite influential behind his success. He further described batting with Pujara in the middle.

Rahul Dravid’s advice has been very helpful

The U19 and India A coach has been silently working hard at the grassroots levels. No prizes for guessing the man is Dravid. The latest to have found his advises helpful is the recently debuted Mayank. The 27-year-old spoke about his experience having worked under Dravid. He also asserted the veteran was quite helpful with regards to keeping mental focus.

“Playing under him is good, we as batsmen speak a lot to him about our game and technique. And he is out there to guide us and help us climb the ladder. His advice has been very, very helpful. He told to me particularly think how to manage my mental energies. And that’s something that we’ve spoken about for four to six months. He’s helped me go through that path,” He was quoted as saying by NDTV.

Quite disappointed for missing out on a big score

While Mayank Agarwal couldn’t score a century, Pujara who was at the other end posted his third century of the series. He remarked that Pujara was quite patient and waited for the bad deliveries. He also shared his experience with the newbie in the middle. Further Mayank regretted not prolonging his stay at the crease and hoped to learn from it.

“It is great to watch Pujara bat from the other end and watch the way he cramps the bowlers. He’s got a pattern to it. He understands his strengths and he waits for the bad balls to come. Obviously, with his experience, he tells me what the opposition is going to do. Disappointed that I threw my wicket. With that said, it’s a learning curve. If I don’t make this mistake again, then it will be a good learning.”

Watch: CricTracker’s Best ODI XI of the year 2018

Get the latest Cricket News and updates from Australia vs India series, Match Predictions, Fantasy Cricket Tips and lots more on CricTracker.com.