Didn't think much of wicket: Debutant Mayank Agarwal

Debutant Mayank Agarwal who smashed the highest ever (76) by an Indian opener on Australian soil, doesn't complain much about the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) pitch as he didn't think too much of the wicket.

"I won't complain about the pitch. It was good to bat on. It did do a bit early on. It was a bit slow and then as the day progressed and we batted after lunch it got a little quicker. I did not think too much of the wicket and I did not put a lot of minds or thought to the wicket before the game," the 27-year-old told the reporters on Wednesday.

 

"I just said I want to try and stay blank and take it as it comes and while I am at the wicket let me assess the wicket and let me see how to go about it," he added further.

Agarwal also amassed the second highest in away Tests as he remained one short to Sudhir Naik's 77 against England in 1974.

"I would have liked more. I would definitely take a 76 rather than take something less than that. But with that said I would want to take it on and score runs and stay not out at the end of the day."

The Karnataka-born player who went onto from T20 to ODI to Test said, "You know the basics remain the same in all the formats of the game and stick to what we have been doing. I am happy that I have got runs from T20 to ODI to Test."

"So I am happy that I am making the changes and able to adapt so that is something I am very happy about. As a player, you want to try and play all the formats of the game. And obviously playing Test cricket is one of the biggest things. I want to be doing that as a cricketer."

When asked about fellow opener Hanuma Vihari, who cheaply departed on eight, Agarwal said they started off well as they managed to play a lot of balls.

"Vihari is a good player. He has got tons and tons of runs in Ranji Trophy cricket and lot of runs in India A cricket. He has got a triple hundred at number three. I don't think it was too hard for him. I thought we started off well. Even though we could not get a big score, we did manage to play a lot of balls, which is good," Agarwal said.

When quizzed about the high-run rate, Agarwal said Australian bowling unit did extremely well.

"Very honestly I thought they bowled extremely well. They did not give us many loose balls and kept it tight and they were attacking. So with the way they bowled, I think we played well."

Following an impressive inning by Agarwal, India reached 123 for the loss of two wickets at tea. To share the onus of India's fort with Pujara, skipper Virat Kohli came out to the crease amid a few boos ringing around as the match resumed.

In the 71st over, Pujara registered his 21st Test fifty. Australia wasted a review as off-spinner Nathan Lyon appealed for leg before wicket (LBW) while bowling the penultimate ball of his over to Kohli. However, it was far outside off stump, according to replays.

The Kohli-Pujara duo brought the 200-mark for India as the skipper remained three runs away from a half-century, while Pujara remained unbeaten on 68. In the end, India posted 215/2 at stumps.