New Zealand all-rounder Jimmy Neesham is known for his humour and witty remarks and doesn’t spare any cricketer with his cheeky comments. The latest cricketer to find himself in that spot was Indian cricketer Mayank Agarwal. While the Test opener took to social media to talk about ‘effort’ and ‘transformation’, Neesham’s humorous reply left netizens in splits and his comment was liked by over 20 thousand people. The batting allrounder, who will now represent six-time winners Mumbai Indians in the 2021 Indian Premier League, didn’t mind taking a poke at his former King XI Punjab teammate, Agarwal.
Making every day count by sweating it out in the gym, Agarwal posted a picture on his Instagram handle working out and posted the picture with the caption, “It’s about effort. And when you bring that effort every single day, that’s where transformation happens. #workhardplayhard #mondaymotivation.” Apprehending the post by Agarwal, Neesham left a comment which reads, “Congratulations! Boy or girl?”
Posting this on Agarwal’s “Monday Motivation” must have definitely left the cricketer with a smirk. Neesham was released from the Kings XI Punjab squad after a lacklustre performance in the 2020 IPL, however, the all-rounder found a buyer in Mumbai Indians, who claimed his services at his base price, which was Rs. 50 lakh.
Neesham is currently a part of the New Zealand T20I squad as the Kiwis host Australia in a five-match T20I series, which the KaneWilliamson-side currently lead 2-0.
While Agarwal makes most of his time at the gym keeping fit, the opener will hope to be called up to the playing XI soon as currently Shubman Gill is making the most of the chances he is being provided. Gill has been opening for India so far since the second Test against Australia in December2020, and has played 6 Test matches so far for India. The opener has scored three half-centuries and is definitely putting in the hard work and dedication which the Indian coaching staff want to see on the pitch. Gill was a part of India’s historic series win over Australia, helping the Indian cricket team retain the Border-Gavaskar trophy.
While Gill makes most of the opportunities, Agarwal will hope to be back in the Playing XI soon and can be considered for the series deciding fixture against England which is scheduled to commence from March 4, 2021onwards at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
Agarwal has played 14 Test matches for Team India and has scored 1,052 runs. The opener has scored three centuries, two double tons with a highest score of 243. It will be interesting to see if skipper Virat Kohli and coach Ravi Shastri stick with current openers Rohit Sharma and Gill, or introduce Agarwal, asthe fourth and final match of the series is a must win game for India, given the points required for the World Test Championships.
217/7(20.0) RR 10.85
141/4(14.0) RR 10.07
