Opener Mayank Agarwal missed out on an opportunity to become only the 7th India batter to hit a hundred in each innings of a Test match as he fell for 62 in the second innings of the ongoing Mumbai Test vs New Zealand after hitting 150 in the first innings.

Mayank Agarwal, however, joined an elite list of India batters who have hit two fifty-plus scores as openers in a Test at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. He has emulated the likes of Chetan Chauhan (52, 84 in 1978), Sunil Gavaskar (205, 73 in 1978) and Kris Srikkanth (71, 65 in 1987) after two fifty-plus scores at the iconic venue.

India vs New Zealand, 2nd Test Day 3: Live Updates

Mayank Agarwal was looking set to get to his second hundred of the Test as he began Day 3 by dominating the New Zealand bowling attack. He got to his fifty inside the first hour on Sunday but holed out to long-off while trying to hit milestone man Ajaz Patel into the stands.

FIFTY!@mayankcricket‘s continues his great form into the second innings.

Brings up a fine half-century.

Live – https://t.co/KYV5Z1jAEM #INDvNZ @Paytm pic.twitter.com/jImbl6d9ki

— BCCI (@BCCI) December 5, 2021

Mayank was hit on the arm while he tried to pull a bouncer from Tim Southee in the first session and the India opener was showing some signs of pain. After taking a second break to treat the pain, Mayank decided to attack the left-arm spinner and get some quick runs. However, he perished for 62, posting a total of 212 runs in the 2nd Test of the 2-match series.

Mayank’s place in the side was in question after an ordinary outing in the first Test in Kanpur. Speculation was rife that Mayank might away for captain Virat Kohli, who returned to the Test side after a period of rest following the T20 World Cup. However, the Karnataka batter got another opportunity to open the innings as Ajinkya Rahane made way for Kohli after picking up a hamstring injury in the lead-up to the Test match.

Mayank made the most of the opportunity as he scored nearly half of India’s first innings total on a Mumbai pitch that was offering plenty of assistance to spinners. It was his first Test hundred in 2 years as the opener punched the air in delight after getting past the 3-figure mark on Day 2 of the 2nd Test. Mayank dominated New Zealand spinners, with his ability to skip down the track and hit the big ones with ease.

Mayank got out for 150 in the first innings, becoming one of the 10 victims of Ajaz Patel who became only the third bowler in the history of Test cricket to pick up all 10 wickets in an innings. It was Ajaz who got Mayank’s wicket in the second innings as well.