"The end goal will take care of itself" - Mayank Agarwal to stick to the processes to return to the Indian team

Indian batter Mayank Agarwal has asserted that his focus is not on making a comeback to the Test side. Instead, the right-handed batter remains keen to stick to the process and replicate his exploits from the 2017-18 season to let everything take care of itself.

The Karnataka batter has fallen down the pecking order in India's Test side, failing to make it to the tour of Bangladesh, with Shubman Gill and Abhimanyu Easwaran getting the nod.

Despite being released by the Punjab Kings, who he captained in IPL 2022, Karnataka has picked Agarwal to lead the side in the upcoming Ranji Trophy season.

Ahead of Karnataka's opening game against the Services on Tuesday, December 13, the 31-year-old stated that he has worked on his game plan around the 2017-18 season and wants to stick with those to return to the national team.

He was quoted as saying by ESPN Cricinfo:

"I've been working on emulating what I did in 2017-18, when I had that good season. I've gone back a little bit, looked at those videos, gone through those game plans and worked around that. For me, that result or the end goal will take care of itself.

"I want to look at my processes, areas I need to improve on and what I need to do to keep performing the way I was doing. And I back myself to deliver those performances."

Agarwal was the top run-getter in the 2017-18 Ranji season, amassing 1160 runs, including five tons, in eight games at a jaw-dropping average of 105.45. Based on his domestic form, the selectors called him up to the Test squad for the 2018-19 Australian tour, where he impressed at the top. The right-handed batter's last Test was against Sri Lanka earlier in the year.

---

"We want to win trophies for Karnataka" - Mayank Agarwal

Mayank Agarwal in action in Australia. (Credits: Getty)

Agarwal further claimed that Karnataka have to be disciplined and determined at what they do to win trophies instead of putting pressure on themselves. He added:

"We've spoken of the legacy of Karnataka cricket and realised if we keep thinking off winning, winning, winning all the time, it's not going to happen.

"That said, we've spoken of how hungry we are, but we also have to make a plan and be adaptable. Be disciplined. If we can do that, with the skillsets we have, the results will take care of itself. We are determined to win, there are no two ways about it. We want to win trophies for Karnataka."

Karnataka last won the Ranji Trophy in 2014-15, stumbling in the knockout rounds on the last three occasions.

---