Mayank Agarwal had been waiting for his India debut for the past one year but when dream turned into a reality, there was such a surge of emotions that the Karnataka batsman found it difficult to focus on the job at hand.
"It was a tremendous feeling to get the India Test cap. I had a lot of emotions (running through mind) when I got the cap. I will cherish it for the rest of my life. The first thought was 295 (his India cap number)," Agarwal said after his impressive 76 at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground.
But the occasion does get better at times, especially when someone scores mountain of runs and is kept waiting for that elusive India cap.
"It wasn't easy to get hold of those emotions and focus there, but it needed to be done. I just stuck to my plans and just kept telling myself, "there is a plan that I have to go through and I am just going to stick to that". Even though it was overwhelming, it was good and I am happy with the way I started," Agarwal added.
Agarwal felt good that the seniors came up and egged him to leave a mark on his debut.
"It's a big stage, and a big opportunity, and I had the seniors walk up to me, telling that bigger the day, bigger the opportunity to leave a mark," said Agarwal.
Agarwal feels blessed that he made his debut at the MCG and also crossed every step towards international cricket with flying colours.
"I just want to say that whatever happened and whatever kept happening, I feel very, very special. I am very lucky because I made my debut at MCG. Every player has to go through scoring runs in Ranji Trophy and doing what he has to do.
"I did that and I am very happy about that. And I learnt a lot as well. When you play Ranji Trophy for five years and play in all parts of India, you learn a lot from that. You face different situations, and it's always a great learning," he added.
When asked about a flat pitch at the MCG, which showed some variable bounce as the day progressed, Agarwal replied,"I won't complain about the pitch. I thought it was good to bat on. It did do a bit early on and it was slow. And as the day progressed and when we batted after lunch, it got a little quicker."
"Obviously, I didn't think too much about the wicket. I just wanted to stay blank and take it as it comes. I thought while I am at the wicket, let me assess the wicket and see how to go about this."