3 Best performances of debutant Mayank Agarwal from the recent past

The much-awaited Test debut of Mayank Agarwal finally happened at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground on Wednesday as India locked horns with Australia for the third time in the ongoing four-match Test series.

There were huge talks going about this young lad that how would he respond to such a big call-up against strong Aussie bowling line-up. But the 27-year-old stood up and played a gutsy knock of 74 runs, setting a solid platform for India's middle order in this all-important Test. The right-handed batsman smashed eight fours and a six in his innings before eventually getting out to Pat Cummins at the stroke of tea.

Mayank was not a part of the squad initially and was called to the side after Prithvi Shaw was ruled out due to an injury. The domestic giant had been in the queue, waiting for a chance for a very long time. Despite performing extremely well for India A and in other domestic assignments, he was unable to find a place in the national team.

However, with his well-crafted knock, the former India U-19 member broke a 61-year-old record, becoming only second Indian to score a half-century on debut in Australia after Dattu Phadkar in 1947.

Getting a Test cap is always a special moment and in this piece, we look at his three best performances from recent past:

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#3 Fiery 69 against Australia A

In the Quadrangular Series held at Bangalore earlier this year, Mayank played some brilliant knocks including a quickfire 69 runs against Australia A in the finals. The visitors had set an average target of 226 runs for India A and Mayank provided his team with a vital start.

His inning of 69 runs off 67 balls helped India chase down the target easily in 37 overs and hence lift the trophy. Manish Pandey and Shubman Gill also contributed in that victory.

#2 Scintillating 151 runs against Leicestershire CCC

During India A's tour to England in June, the flamboyant opener played a scintillating inning of 151 runs against Leicestershire CC in the swinging English conditions. He opened the innings with Prithvi Shaw and the duo stitched together a stand of 221 runs, thrashing the hosts all-over the park.

Mayank ended up scoring 151 runs off a mere 106 balls. India A won that match by a handsome margin of 281 runs.

#1 Mammoth 220 runs against South Africa A

Mayank Agarwal, who owns a first-class triple century, would surely remember his mammoth knock of 220 runs against South Africa A for a long time. It was one of his all-time best knocks as it came against an opposition with a good bowling attack.

South Africa A decided to bat first and were bundled out for 246 runs. In reply, on the back of an opening partnership of 277 runs between Mayank Agarwal and Prithvi Shaw, India A posted 584 runs on the board.

Mayank's 220 runs innings consisted of 31 sublime fours and 4 hits over the fence. The results again came out in favour of India A as they won the match by an innings and 30 runs.