“I’ve been working to match what I did in 2017/18 when I had that good season,” Agarwal said in Bengaluru ahead of Karnataka’s Ranji opener against Services on Tuesday. “I went back a little bit, watched those videos, went through those game plans and worked around that.
“For me, that result or the end goal [India selection] will take care of itself. I want to look at my processes, areas I need to improve and what I need to do to keep performing the way I did. And I support myself to deliver that performance.”
As he takes over a young team in transition, Agarwal is mindful of creating an environment similar to that seen in 2013/14 when he broke through to make his first-class debut after years of being pigeonholed as a white ball. player.
“We need to keep encouraging them, creating a good environment for them to flourish,” Agarwal said. “They are in the team because of the performances they have made in age group cricket. Nikin also did very well in the Vijay Hazare. We want him to continue that form. As a team we want to have an atmosphere where they can come, learn, perform and prosper, putting on match-winning performances for Karnataka and playing for the country.
“I want to encourage them [youngsters], because they have given performances. They are skilled, they have the temperament and the talent. We want to support and help them to learn. The environment we want to create in the team is one of wanting to win trophies, and we are hungry for that.
“The more we win and the more we enjoy each other’s success, that will come. Each of us has to be part of this environment, it’s not about one or two players coming in and creating that. If 20-25 of us that create, it will all pile up. And when things pile up, the results will take care of themselves.”
“We talked about the legacy [of Karnataka cricket] and realized that if we keep thinking about winning, winning, winning all the time, it’s not going to happen. That said, we’ve talked about how hungry we are, but we also need to plan and adapt. Be disciplined. If we can do that, with the skills we have, the results will take care of themselves. We are determined to win, there are no two ways to do that. We want to win trophies for Karnataka.”
