The Karnataka Premier League has provided a stage for the youngsters to showcase their skills. The 19-year-old Mayank Agarwal decided to come to the party in the second edition of the KPL.
He scored the only century of the edition and emerged as the highest run-getter with 297 runs. This effort also saw him being chosen in the state U-22 team. “My aim is to play for Karnataka in the Ranji Trophy this year. I know that I will have to do well this season and make use of the opportunities that I get,” said Mayank, who averaged a healthy 39.4 for the Shamanur Davanagere Diamonds in the KPL.
“I don’t know whether I will make it to the team this year. But I will do the best I can,” he added. Mayank’s 62-ball century against Belagavi Panthers in the league stages, was the second in the KPL after Manish Pandey had crossed the mark in the first edition.
The youngster considers Virender Sehwag as his idol and has a similar kind of batting in the style, but at the same time wants to be consistent like Sachin Tendulkar. “My idol is Sehwag. I like the way he approaches his game and goes about things. But I would love to be consistent like Sachin Tendulkar,” he said.
The explosive opener hogged the limelight during India U-19 tour of Australia, when he scored 160 in a one-dayer and later played in the U-19 World Cup, which was held in New Zealand earlier this year. He feels that his stint with the national U-19 team has transformed him as a batsman.
“The tour with the national team helped me a lot. We played in different conditions, and I understood how to bat in different conditions and situations,” he said. Even though he is happy with his performance in the KPL, he is disappointed that they failed to clinch the title. “I am happy with my performance, but it would have been nice if we had won the title.”
Interestingly, Diamonds had entered the semifinals with an unbeaten record in their league engagements, but faltered against eventual champions Mangalore United in the last four. An attacking cricketer, Mayank wants to play Tests, which he says, is his ultimate dream.