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Updated November 27th, 2021 at 13:16 IST

Ind vs NZ: VVS Laxman explains why Mayank Agarwal's bizarre fielding stance 'is not ideal'

Indian cricketer Mayank Agarwal attracted the eyeballs for all the wrong reasons on Day 2 of the first Test match between India and New Zealand.

Reported by: Vishal Tiwari
India vs New Zealand, Mayank Agarwal, Sunil Gavaskar, Ind vs nz, India vs New Zealand 1st test, mayank agarwal fielding, VVS Laxman
Image: @sambabriza/Twitter | Image:self
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Indian cricketer Mayank Agarwal attracted the eyeballs for all the wrong reasons on Day 2 of the first Test match between India and New Zealand. Agarwal was seen fielding while on his knees during New Zealand's first innings of the game on Friday. Agarwal was on his knees the entire time while fielding against spinners Ravichandran Ashwin, Axar Patel, and Ravindra Jadeja. The 30-year-old was forced to bring the bizarre fielding position into play in order to nullify the lack of bounce on Kanpur's pitch. 

The incident occurred for the first time in the 47th over as India were forced to implement every trick on the book to break the opening partnership between Tom Latham and Will Young. The incident even caused umpire Nitin Menon to have a chat with Ashwin; however, that didn't stop Agarwal from fielding in the stance as the on-field umpires seemed okay with it. 

Former Indian cricketer VVS Laxman, however, was not impressed with Agarwal's bizarre fielding position, saying it limits the movement of the player and that it is not ideal while fielding in the slip cordon because the ball can go in any direction after touching the willow. Meanwhile, former India captain Sunil Gavaskar poked fun at Agarwal for his fielding position on Day 2. Gavaskar, while commentating, was heard making fun of Agarwal's fielding position.

"Because of lack of bounce, we saw something different. We saw this same thing in Vizag when India played. A different stance to stand in the gully. I don’t agree with it. When you are in this position, when you want to be in a close-in fielding position, you need to be ready for the catches that are coming in front, right, left or above. But in this position, all you are doing is waiting for the ball that is coming in front of you, which means it is not ideal," Laxman had said while presenting on Star Sports.

The tactic is not new in cricket and was first used at the international stage by England captain Joe Root, who used it earlier this year during the first Test match against Sri Lanka. Root used the stance while fielding against spinner Jack Leach, who had made his Test debut for England in the same game. Meanwhile, England veteran Marcus Trescothick is credited for using the technique for the first time in any form of cricket. He had used the tactic in a domestic game for Somerset in 2017. 

India vs New Zealand

As far as the ongoing Test match is concerned, New Zealand pacer Tim Southee and openers Tom Latham and Will Young brought the Kiwis back into the game with their incredible performances on Friday following Shreyas Iyer's ton. While Southee picked a five-wicket-haul to restrict India under a score of 350, the openers notched up a 100-run partnership to put on a solid score for New Zealand before the end of play on Day 2. 

Will young was dismissed by R Ashwin after scoring 89 runs for his team on Saturday morning. Umesh Yadav then trapped New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson LBW for just 18 runs before the lunch break. India, on the other hand, had posted a total of 345 runs after the first innings, courtesy of a spectacular century by debutant Shreyas Iyer and a couple of half-centuries from Shubman Gill and Ravindra Jadeja. 

Image: @sambabriza/Twitter

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Published November 27th, 2021 at 12:24 IST

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