Image Credit - AFP
“India will go with Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill, Mayank Agarwal needs to be considered for the World Test Championship finals,” said New Zealand’s ex-coach, Mike Hesson, on Thursday. Hesson made this statement as he feels Agarwal is experienced in having faced New Zealand bowlers in red-ball cricket.
Agarwal toured New Zealand and opened in both the Tests with Prithvi Shaw in Wellington and Christchurch. Out of which he scored 34, 58, 7, and 3 in both the games in which India got defeated.
But, Mayank fell out of form due to which he had to lose his place as an opener to Shubman Gill during the 2020-21 tour of Australia. The right-hand batsman played in the first, second, and fourth Tests in the Border-Gavaskar series before warming the bench in the home Tests against England in February-March.
Mike however feels that Mayank would be a better option to open in the ‘big game’ rather than the expected pair of Rohit Sharma and Gill in Southampton.
“They will probably go with Rohit and Shubman but I think Mayank needs to be considered. He has faced the New Zealand attack in New Zealand, where he would have got some crucial experience,” said Mike Hesson, who coached New Zealand from 2012 to 2018.