BENGALURU: The KSCA ‘B’ ground was a beehive of activity on Thursday morning as some India ‘A’ players went through their paces. But away from the bustle and chatter, in the nets at the far corner, opener Mayank Agarwal worked on his batting. The intensity was ferocious, although he did pause when players like Umran Malik stopped by to greet him. Nor did he miss congratulating them on their call-up for the upcoming red-ball series against New Zealand ‘A’. But deep down he was hurting.
It’s been a tough year for the 31-year-old. He hasn’t played for the country since the day-night Test against Sri Lanka in March and as skipper of Punjab Kings, he turned in a sub-par 196 runs in 12 innings in the Indian Premier League.
