Hamilton: India Test opener Mayank Agarwal on Sunday celebrated his 29th birthday with teammates after helping India draw against New Zealand XI in the three-day warm-up game ahead of the Test series here.
Agarwal (81 retired) and Rishabh Pant (70) had a field day as India got ready for the first Test in Wellington on February 21.
The team celebrated Agarwal’s birthday with the tradition of cake smashing. The BCCI shared pictures of wicketkeeper Pant and opener Prithvi Shaw rubbing cake and pouring water on the batsman.
BCCI wished Agarwal on the occasion and also tweeted, “Just birthday things,” along with the pictures shared.
“Happy birthday bro. @mayankcricket, have a good one, well done for the cake smash,” tweeted Cheteshwar Pujara.
“Wishing you a very happy birthday brother!!!@mayankcricket. May God bless you with everything you have wished for!!” senior fast bowler Ishant Sharma said in a tweet.
Agarwal, after the match, said he is confident of taking his good form in the Tests. “It’s been a little different playing here but I want to leave all that behind whatever has happened. Yes, I got an 81 in the second innings of this practice game and I want to take this confidence forward into the Test match,” he told reporters.
