The dilemma facing by the management about the team selection was yet now clear and after the selection of Mayank Agarwal opening the inning and making his first debut
The stage couldn't have been bigger for Agarwal to shine as he brought up the milestone off 95 balls in front of a packed Boxing Day crowd at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
The repeated failure of some player resulted in the selection to move Mayank and introduce him on the cricket ground.
The 27-year-old looked at ease against the fast bowlers and off-spinner Nathan Lyon alike throughout the first session and continued in the same vein after the lunch break.
Agarwal became the 27th Indian batsman to score a fifty on Test debut. He is also only the second Indian opener to make his debut on Australian soil. Amir Elahi, the 40th player to represent the country, had made his debut at the Sydney Cricket Ground way back in 1947-48.
The Bangalore-born cricketer is also the second Indian to score a half-century on debut in Australia after Dattu Phadkar.
Incidentally, Agarwal's opening partner in this Test match, Hanuma Vihari, was the last Indian to achieve the feat during the Test series in England in September.
Mayank and Vihari were revealed to be openers for the Test with many pointing out the inexperience of the pair but they proved to be really good as they added 40 runs for the first wicket in the first hour of play
While Vihari failed to get going on the first day of the Melbourne Test, Agarwal carried on and batted with positive intent to get to the milestone and would be eyeing a big score from here on.
