The 27-year-old has been in splendid form for the past couple of seasons, knocking on the doors of the Indian team with his match-winning performances, especially for Karnataka in the domestic circuit. However, the right-hander was made to wait, seemingly endlessly.

How did he respond to the delay? Agarwal kept at it, continued to pile on the runs, and amplified the intensity of those knocks on the national selectors’ doors.

Deeply humbled with all the wishes that have been pouring in. Will continue to persevere, work hard and make everyone who has supported me through this journey proud. It’s an absolute honor to have a chance to represent my country. Thank you so much. 🙏🏼

— Mayank Agarwal (@mayankcricket) September 29, 2018

Agarwal worked hard through the last 15 months, racked up more than 2000 domestic runs, broke batting records, and ultimately, the selectors couldn’t look away any more.

With India’s regular openers Murali Vijay and Shikhar Dhawan struggling to cement their spots in the playing XI, Agarwal has a real chance of extending his sojourn with the national team, with Shaw and KL Rahul the other options.

If he announces himself in the world stage with impressive performances against the West Indies, he might just find more opportunities coming his way in what promises to be a hectic season for India in Test cricket.