SA vs IND: Ajit Agarkar criticises Mayank Agarwal for wasting opportunities in South Africa

Mayank Agarwal became a cause of frustration for Indian fans once again after he lost his wicket early in the second innings of the third and final Test. Agarwal survived an initial scare after he got saved by a review. However, he failed to make it count and ended up walking back to the pavilion after scoring seven runs.

Besides the half-century he scored in the first Test, Mayank Agarwal has been quiet in the series. Many former cricketers including Ajit Agarkar believe that he has wasted the opportunity to prove his worth. In the absence of star opener Rohit Sharma, this was the perfect time for him to push for contention but a series of recent failures has hampered those chances.

“He has wasted a chance because he started the series well. It is not easy when Rabada is in such good rhythm, the way he was bowling, but he [Mayank] has technical faults. He gets out in the same way and he will get more exposed, especially, in overseas conditions,” said Ajit Agarkar in a discussion on Star Sports.

With that being said, the former Indian bowler acknowledged the terrific delivery bowled by Kagiso Rabada who has been in brilliant form during this Test. Rabada picked up four wickets in the first innings and then returned to account for Mayank Agarwal’s wicket in the second innings.

“He could have done very little with this ball because it was close to the off-stump on a good length, moved away slightly after pitching and bounced as well. Mayank Agarwal has not played much in overseas conditions as well because he is the third or fourth opener,” he added.

Former Indian opener Gautam Gambhir also expressed that both KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal would be disappointed with the way they got dismissed. India had a glorious chance to finish the day without losing any wickets but KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal’s dismissals caused a minor setback. Virat Kohli and Cheteshwar Pujara stabilised the ship and ensured that no further wickets were lost on the day.

“KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal will definitely be disappointed. The way Agarwal got out, there was a close call earlier also when the ball hit the pad. He got out similarly in the first innings as well. So somewhere or the other, this is a technical fault. He does not have a solid base.

“Rahul will be extremely disappointed because it was not a wicket-taking ball. He couldn’t transfer his body weight and just played from the crease. If you don’t transfer the body weight in places like South Africa and you nick, there is very little chance that the ball will not carry,” he concluded.