Mayank Agarwal made the most of his opportunity in the second Test against New Zealand on Saturday at the Wankhede Stadium, as he slammed a brilliant century to put India in pole position heading into Day Three. The stylish opener stood tall on a tricky batting surface, scoring his third Test century at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.

Batting first, Mayank Agarwal and Shubman Gill showed great resolve and concentration to negate the early swing on offer for Tim Southee and Kyle Jamieson. The duo added 80 runs for the first wicket, before Gill was dismissed by Ajaz Patel. The leg spinner also picked up Cheteshwar Pujara and Virat Kohli shortly after, but Agarwal remained determined as ever to keep scoring.

The Punjab Kings player took on Patel and fellow spinner Will Somerville despite the pitch offering some significant turn, hitting a few over the infield. His calculated risks reaped rewards as he smashed four sixes against the spinners.

Agarwal also embellished his innings with 17 boundaries, including a cut towards point that got him to the 150 mark. He was dismissed shortly after getting to 150 by Ajaz Patel, but the damage was already done for the Kiwis as India put up a daunting score of 325 in the first innings off the back of Agarwal’s innings.

On a track where three Indian players couldn’t get off the mark and only Axar Patel managed to get a fifty, Mayank Agarwal showed his class as he waded through the tricky phases of play and expertly crafted his innings. This was his third Test ton on home soil, and his first in over two years in just the second game since his comeback to the Indian team.

With ball in hand, India managed to bundle over New Zealand for just 62 runs, with Mohammad Siraj and Ravichandran Ashwin causing the bulk of the damage. Indian captain Kohli opted to bat again, and Agarwal once again piled on the runs, ending the day’s play at 38 not out.