Mayank Agarwal's new, 'fearless' approach on India debut comes as a breath of fresh air

"It wasn't easy to get hold of those emotions and focus on debut, but it needed to be done," said Mayank Agarwal on the first day of the Boxing Day Test between Australia and India.

For the first time in 82 years, India had fielded two completely inexperienced Test openers: Hanuma Vihari and Mayank Agarwal. The two players, with a combined tally of two Tests (all Vihari's), were thrown into the deep end against a sizzling Australian attack.

Their task was to stand up and be counted after the two openers who preceded them - KL Rahul and Murali Vijay - suffered from constantly wilting form and an inability to muster self-belief.

In the last 15 days, Mayank has traversed from Mount Maunganui to Melbourne via Surat, finally reaching his destiny of a well-deserved India cap.

Over the last year and a half, Mayank has done all that can be done for a national call-up. He's dominated all forms of domestic cricket, worked and re-worked on his technique, and has become mentally sound enough to silence any noise - both outside and within.

Mayank's personal coach for half a decade now, RX Muralidhar, has seen and assessed every inch of the batsman's career graph, ensuring that all his rough edges were smoothed before he was ready for the real deal.

"The call-up was expected. After doing well, and being part of the Indian team in the West Indies series, we knew that'll happen. He was told that if there is an injury, he will be the one to be called in," Muralidhar told Sportskeeda.

Armoured with a compact technique baked just the right amount for red-ball cricket, Mayank couldn't have been more prepared to step into cricket's topmost stratum.

Yet, the preparation to counter the likes of Starc & Co wasn't done in the pre-game nets at the MCG. It is a product of years of rigorous, specialized training, cultivated to suit the varying situations in a game.

From technical and emotional to tactical, Mayank was molded, almost robotically, into a complete batsman. From solving his 'jabbing' habit outside off with the use of plastic balls, to shifting his mind from 'programming' to 'reacting', new layers were attached to his already talented skill-set.

Mayank faced 161 deliveries at the MCG, half of what he usually does during his daily 'morning session' rituals. Under Muralidhar's watchful eyes, who describes Mayank as 'gutsy', over 300 throwdowns are hurled at him by three to four different feeders, each with a different style of throwing. His job is only to react, not pre-meditate.

On Boxing Day, Mayank's ball selection was on point; he played deliveries on merit instead of having a pre-devised plan in his head.

"Fantastic," Muralidhar said, reacting to Mayank's debut knock. "I would rate this very high, knowing for a fact that he is playing in Australia, against one of the best bowling attacks, that too an attack that is in-form - all the bowlers are bowling well."

A standout feature of Mayank's innings was his approach against Nathan Lyon, the leading wicket-taker from either side this series. Instead of retreating into a shell, he repeatedly drove him through the covers and used his feet to loft him over the in-field.

Mayank continuously attacked Lyon during his 76

"There was so much authority and decisiveness, courage in what he did, which speaks volumes. He's brought freshness into the team which helps. There was a set pattern of playing Nathan Lyon. He changed the set pattern.

"Suddenly, people are saying: 'Oh, you can play him (Lyon) through covers. You can step out in line or outside the line to him. There is a kind of fearlessness he has brought in," Muralidhar added.

A gloved tickle down leg halted his march, but Mayank looked the part with the Indian emblem on his chest.

"It is not just the 76 that he scored, it is the way he scored the runs that is much more exciting," Muralidhar said.

"I am happy, but obviously I would have liked more," Mayank said after the day's play. The level has been bumped up, but his appetite for runs has remained just the same.