Virat Kohli reveals why Mayank Agarwal was handed Test debut in 2018

Bengaluru, July 29: India skipper Virat Kohli explains his decision to give opener Mayank Agarwal a Test debut in the 2018-19 Australia series.

Agarwal, who made his Test debut against Australia in the Boxing Day Test, managed to register a half-century in his very first innings in the longest format.

Recalling that moment, skipper Kohli told Agarwal in a video posted on the official website of BCCI, that the Karnataka opener's character stood out more for him than the number of runs he had scored in the domestic circuit.

"I had seen you play for RCB, even then you played international bowlers with conviction and you would take them on. You were performing in first-class matches in a dominating way. That is something always stood out with you, I would say your character stood out for me than the number of runs. I knew you would be fearless without having any baggage," Kohil said.

Agarwal has managed to score 974 runs from 11 matches at an average of 57.29 in the longest format of the game with three centuries, which also includes two double hundreds and three fifties as an opening batsman.

The Indian skipper also revealed how he recognises character of a player by using Hanuma Vihari's willingness to open the batting.

"For me, the biggest marker is how a person approaches the game, so for example when you opened and we made Vihari open with you. The first opportunity we presented Vihari to open the batting, he said yes to it and that matters to me the most," Kohli said.

"I opened in my first series for India, I said yes to this opportunity and things worked out fine for me. So, a guy who wants to get into tough situations will come out either holding his head high or learning from his mistakes," he added.

Kohli and Agarwal will soon be seen in action for Royal Challengers Bangalore and Kings XI Punjab respectively when the Indian Premier League (IPL) begins from September 19 in the UAE.