After a debut to remember in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024, fans as well as pundits are excited to watch young sensation, Mayank Yadav perform on world stage. The young pace sensation however took the world by storm with his 150 kmph-plus bowling in just one match in competitive cricket, the excitement on his debut at international stage is eagerly awaited, but injury clouds over his debut.
The Delhi-born pacer who only featured in a few matches for IPL franchise Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in IPL 2024, was ruled out of the remaining season with injury. His return has been extended with the pacer currently recovering at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru. While he continues to remain out of action, former India bowling coach, Paras Mhambrey opened up on Yadav and added that he cannot be kept in a cotton wool.
“I don’t agree that if he is not ready, just don’t play him. This is the age where he has to bowl. A bowler should bowl. The more you bowl, the more you will have control, you will know your threshold as to how much your body can take. You can’t wrap him up in cotton wool saying he will get injured. We can’t overbowl and burn him out but we have to be smart about how much he should bowl. As a fast bowler, he needs to play first-class cricket,” Paras Mhambrey told The Indian Express.
“When you play one season, you understand your bowling. You bowl in different conditions. Physically, you will be tested in different phases of the game. Sometimes, you will have to be on the ground for six sessions. And to be able to bowl with the same intensity in the last session will give you confidence when you play at the international level. I strongly feel Mayank needs to grind it out in the domestic season,” Mhambrey added.
The former India bowling coach also added he did not care about the long term plan with Mayank, but wanted to see what the pacer brings to the table in the next five years. “I am not looking at the next 10 or 15 years. I want to see what he can do in the next five. The next three-four years will be extremely crucial for him. Once he is 25-26, he will understand his body much better. And then he will have a good five years at the international level,” Mhambrey added.
The 22-year-old came into limelight after he consistently breached the 150 kmph mark in the four matches he played in IPL 2024. In his IPL debut match, he led LSG to victory, scalping four wickets, including that of Jonny Bairstow and clocked 155.8 kmph, which was the fastest in the 2024 edition of the tournament.
While he currently trains at NCA in Bengaluru, he recently opted out of the Delhi Premier League (DPL) 2024, the inaugural edition which is underway in the national capital, Delhi.