India opener Mayank Agarwal leaving the ball outside in the first Test against South Africa.
India opener Mayank Agarwal Said on Sunday that his team’s batsmen applied themselves according to the team’s plan, putting the visiting team in a strong position on the first day of the first Test against South Africa here.
Electing to bat, India scored 272 for 3 by the end of the game KL Rahul remained unbeaten on 122. His opening partner Agarwal contributed 60 runs. Ajinkya RahaneStruggling for form, returns unbeaten on 40.
“The plan was to be very disciplined, to play the balls that come around the stumps and leave as much as we can. That’s all we could do,” Agarwal said at the press conference after the day’s play. At 272 for 3, the credit goes to our batting unit, we applied ourselves. The plan is that those who get set will have to continue and so did Rahul bhai.
Apart from KL Rahul’s century, the highlight of the day was India’s partnership.
He said, “The highlight as a team was Rahul’s century. We had a partnership and that was important. He partnered with me first, and Virat bhai also and then with Rahane. I hope he continues that. ” ,
He said that the Indian team did several pre-match practice sessions on the field and also at the middle wicket to get a feel for the situation and the conditions.
Asked what would be the ideal total for India, he said, “We want to score as much as possible to put ourselves in a very good position. The first hour (tomorrow) will be crucial. If we do well in that. Over the period, we can build pressure (on South Africa). There was a bit of moisture in the beginning and we could see some balls slipping but it got better as the day progressed and got faster.
On the impact of new coach Rahul Dravid on the team, Mayank, who worked closely with the former India captain, said, “The players’ interactions with him were about playing with discipline.
He said, “When you play in South Africa and other countries, it is not necessary to look good (to win matches). You have to stick to the plan and wait for opportunities. We are glad that we did that in the first season. able to do it.” said.
He declined to comment on his dismissal following the DRS call for LBW.
“I am not allowed to voice my opinion and hence I want to leave it at that. Otherwise, I will fall in bad books and my money (match fees) could be docked.”
Mayank felt that Rahul was very disciplined in his game plan and his mindset. If someone is really watching him closely you will know that he (Rahul) knows where his off-stump is, he is really reaching the line of the ball, he is dropping the balls really well. And he is very disciplined in his game plan and in his mindset,” he concluded.
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