NAGPUR: Akshay Agrawal belongs to that creed of batters who believe in consistently converting starts into big knocks and letting the runs speak for him. The right-hander is churning out century after century for Navniketan CC from the last couple of seasons.
On Tuesday, Agarwal (200 n.o; 268b, 19x4, 2x6) scored an unbeaten double century and helped Navniketan chase 411 runs for the first innings lead on the last day of Guzder League 2-day encounter against Indian Gymkhana. The tournament is organized by Vidarbha Cricket Association.
Agrawal batted without any chance for his second century in three matches. The double ton made him the leading run-getter in the tournament with an average of 121.
"He has been among the runs from the last few years. He has been doing well in all major VCA tournaments," said Prashant Bambal, who has seen Agarwal develop into a consistent performer.
Last season, Agarwal had scored 954 runs at an average of 95.40 with 6 centuries and finished as the top-scorer in the league. The thing that testifies to his eagerness to convert starts into big knocks is that he converted all his half-centuries into hundreds last season including three 150+ scores.
"His conversion rate is really high. Last season, whenever he crossed fifty, he converted it into 100. This season, he reached the 50-run mark twice and he converted it into 111 and 200 not out. Scoring runs is in Akshay's hands and he is doing it with aplomb," said Bambal.
Agarwal had an important partnership with Yash Kadam (98; 102b, 10x4, 4x6). They added crucial 180 runs in 207 balls for the third wicket that threw Indian Gymkhana on the backfoot. Later, Agarwal and Tushar Gill (100*) added 186 for the fifth wicket.
BRIEF SCORES: Indian Gymkhana 410 vs Navniketan CC 534 for 5 (Akshay Agarwal 200*, Tushar Gill 100*, Yash Kadam 98; Himanshu Joshi 3-69). Result: Navniketan CC took the first innings lead
