'The fear of failure and letting go of it helped me change a lot. After that I got hungry for runs.'
'I backed myself and was watching the ball well and picking it.'
India opener Mayank Agarwal smashed a career-best second double hundred on Day 2 of the first Test against Bangladesh, in Indore on Friday, and immediately revealed the secret of his consistency.
Overcoming the fear of failure, he said, made him hungrier for runs.
Mayank registered his third Test hundred, a 243 off 330 balls, which formed the cornerstone of India's 493 for 6 against Bangladesh.
"In terms of mindset, the fear of failure and letting go of it helped me change a lot. After that I got hungry for runs," the 28-year-old said, after his brilliant innings gave India a 343-run lead against Bangladesh.
"There have been times where I haven't gotten runs. Every time I get set, I try to make it a point to convert into a big score."
Mayank added 91 for the second wicket with Cheteshwar Pujara before sharing a 190-run stand for the fourth wicket with Ajinkya Rahane and a whirlwind 123 with Ravindra Jadeja for the fifth wicket.
Talking about his partnerships, he said: "It is about playing one ball at a time and keep batting as long as possible. He's (Ajinkya Rahane) a senior pro, he's played a lot of Test cricket and kept guiding me throughout.
"The plan was to get a small partnership and take our time, be cautious. It was about building it more and more. I backed myself and was watching the ball well and picking it.
"There is bounce on this wicket and there is full value for shots. I went after anything I felt that was in my arc. We haven't talked about it yet… the way we are going, we are in the driver's seat and will try to put them under a lot of pressure."
The Karnataka batsman had scored a half-century on his Test debut in the Boxing Day Test against Australia last year and said the feeling of contributing to the team motivated him a lot.
"Really enjoyed the time since I made the Test team. Playing in Melbourne was special, and having contributed to the series win Down Under was a top feeling.
"That's the feeling which has stuck with me. It's the feeling that makes the team go out there and win tournaments."
