Photo: BCCIMayank Agarwal made sure his maiden century in Test cricket was a memorable one -- by making it a double.
In only his fifth outing, and opening the innings for India in the first Test against South Africa at Visakhapatnam, the 28-year-old scored 215 allowing the home team to declare at 502/7.
"I'm extremely happy. It's a feeling that I really can't describe," Agarwal beamed. "It's my first hundred, and to make it a double... The word 'finally' makes a difference, but I am happy with the way I played."
Take a bow, Mayank Agarwal 🙌🙌@Paytm #INDvSA pic.twitter.com/ESHjPbXP1A
— BCCI (@BCCI) October 3, 2019
He ended the rain-interrupted opening day on 84 and then soldiered on to carve up the total alongside Rohit Sharma, the pair putting on a record 317 for the first wicket which now stands as the highest partnership for any wicket in an India-South Africa fixture.
"If Rohit and myself, we can keep batting together like this, it will make it really hard for the opposition," he pointed out. "To be very honest, I would like to say you need to think about your own game. You go through different emotions - somewhere you feel, maybe I am batting well, maybe I will get my chance, but it doesn't work like that.
"You've got to be patient and keep working. We had a really good partnership, to lay the foundation," he said.
Agarwal, who plays for Kings XI Punjab in the VIVO Indian Premier League, took 114 balls to raise his fifty off a six, 204 deliveries for his hundred and 294 for his 150 and 358 for his double. During the course, he faced 371 deliveries, stroked 23 fours and hit 6 sixes and scored at a steady strike rate of 57.95.
"Initially, (the pitch) did do a bit for their seamers," he reflected. "As the sun came out, it got better. As we came to lunch on the second day, the ball started keeping low, and around tea, it started turning."
He became the fourth Indian to convert his maiden Test ton into a double-century; the last one being KXIP teammate Karun Nair who scored a triple against England in 2016.
