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Mayank Yadav made a stellar start to his international career as he was handed his T20I debut in the first match against Bangladesh in Gwalior. The Delhi speedster bowled a maiden to start with, becoming the fifth Indian bowler to start his T20I career with a maiden over. He troubled the Bangladeshi batters with his raw pace and ended with figures of 1/21 in his four overs.
Mayank’s rise to fame began during the 2023 Deodhar Trophy, where, representing North Zone, he secured 12 wickets in five innings, the second-highest tally in the tournament, at an average of 17.58. The Delhi pacer further astonished the cricket world by clocking 156.7 kph in the IPL 2024 while playing for Lucknow Super Giants, consistently breaching the 150 kph mark. Unfortunately, his IPL campaign was cut short after four matches due to a hamstring tear.
After six months of rigorous rehabilitation, Mayank made an immediate impact in Indian colours, generating rapid pace while also showcasing his ability to bowl great line and lengths, including some cutters and slower deliveries.
Pravin Tambe, the spin-bowling coach for Lucknow Super Giants and the oldest player in the Legends League Cricket (LLC) at 53, praised Mayank as a future “asset” for Team India. However, Tambe also expressed concern about Mayank’s fitness, suggesting careful management to fully utilise his skills.
“To be honest, I have never seen someone like him, at least in India. He looks very lean, athletic if you may say, with not many bulky muscles, but the kind of pace he generated at the LSG nets was scary,” Tambe told RevSportz on the sidelines of the LLC matches at the Maulana Azad Stadium in Jammu.
He added, “We were all taken aback by what he was doing behind the scenes. I never thought such a lanky guy could generate such fearsome pace in India, and of course, then the world saw what he was capable of in the IPL.”
Tambe elaborated, “Skill-wise, he has everything you want in a pace bowler. He is going to be a future asset for India, someone who can make the entire cricket world talk about his bowling. But it’s not just about the pace; it’s his body that he has to take care of. Fitness-wise, he has to reach the levels where every world-class pacer operates. He has been looked after well by the BCCI and the NCA, but how they manage his workload going forward, when he starts to play for India regularly, is what I want to see. You want to use such a talent in every game, but that might not be possible, at least for now.”
As Mayank prepares for potential international stardom, there’s also speculation about his future with LSG. The franchise might face a decision on whether to retain him for at least Rs 11 crore following his India debut.
Meanwhile, the retention of KL Rahul, another high-profile player, remains uncertain. With a hefty price tag of Rs 18 crore and questions over his captaincy, Rahul’s fate with the team hangs in the balance. Tambe, focusing on his role with the bowlers, leaves such decisions to the team’s management, confident they will choose what’s best for the team.
“See, Rahul is a great player. He is a far superior player than I was in my career, and my role in the squad is to help the spinners, the bowlers, and not to deal with how the batters are doing. Whether to retain him or not, it’s not my call. The hierarchy, the management is there to take the call, and I am sure whatever decision they take will be in the best interest of the team,” Tambe said.
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