India vs Australia: ‘He cannot do that on Australian pitches,’ Sunil Gavaskar explains what’s ailing Mayank Agarwal

Back in 2018, Indian opener Mayank Agarwal made headlines after making a dynamic Test debut at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. His batting brilliance against a potent Australian bowling line-up turned out to be so impressive that he sidelined the likes of Murali Vijay and Shikhar Dhawan from the Indian Test set-up.

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A couple of years down the line, Mayank is back to the place where his international journey began. But guess what – unlike his previous tour Down Under, the Aussies aren’t afraid of him anymore.

In the ongoing Test series, Mayank has managed scores of 17, 9, 0 and 5 in the two Tests. The concerning factor is that more than his scores, his ways of getting out in every game are raising doubts. Speaking on the same, former India captain and batting legend Sunil Gavaskar feels that Mayank’s changed batting stance is the reason behind the struggle.

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“His new stance is giving him less options on the backfoot, something that he cannot do on Australian pitches. It can help him cover for that movement inside from the left-arm pacer,” Gavaskar said during an interview with an Australian channel.

The former captain further explained that the gap between Mayank’s legs is the main cause of the trouble. Gavaskar advised the struggling Indian opener to open up his stance, in order to cover up for the ball coming in. “It can help him cover for that movement inside from the left-arm pacer,” said Gavaskar.

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Besides Gavaskar, Deep Dasgupta is another former cricketer who pointed out the problem in Mayank’s stance. Dasgupta opined that Mayank’s wrists get stuck behind his right hip which allows him less assistance to combat an incoming delivery.

“It happened to me once too and it needs to be worked on. He can probably bring his wrists closer so that he can get to the ball quicker,” Dasgupta had said.