India opener Mayank Agarwal celebrated his 29th birthday on Sunday and several members of the Indian cricket team joined in to mark the occasion. In photos shared by BCCI on their official Twitter handle, the right-hander was seen celebrating his birthday alongside teammates Rishabh Pant, Prithvi Shaw, Mohammed Shami, Navdeep Saini and two members of the coaching staff. Mayank's face was covered with cake in the photos, while Pant and Shaw were seen pouring water on him.
Just birthday things
Happy Birthday, Mayank Agarwal pic.twitter.com/fwAUc8G9yS
"Just birthday things. Happy Birthday, Mayank Agarwal," the BCCI captioned the photos.
Meanwhile, ,Mayank finally found form for the first time in New Zealand on the final day of the Practice game against New Zealand XI. After being dismissed for 1 in the first innings, the right-hander was at his best in the second dig and looked flawless in his innings of 81 when he retired. Following the inspired performance of the Indian pacers, the batsmen stepped up on day 3 as the match ended in a draw.
"It was a good match, it was nice that we got a practice three-day game ahead of the Test series. Scoring runs is important, in the first innings, the wicket was tough and I got out early. But it was good that I got another opportunity in the second innings," Mayank said after the match.
"It has been a little different, I scored 81 in the second innings and I want to take that confidence into the Test series. Batting coach Vikram Rathour and I have talked about the areas that I need to get better in. I am happy that whatever I have worked on, is coming good now," he further added.
The two teams will play the first Test from Thursday in Wellington.
