Mayank Yadav was one of the emerging stars of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 season. Playing for Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), the 22-year-old caught everyone’s attention with his sizzling pace as he frequently bowled at speeds greater than 150 kmph and delivered the fourth-fastest ball in IPL history at 156.7 kmph.
Unfortunately, an injury ended his participation after only four games, during which he picked up seven wickets and earned two Player-of-the-Match awards.
Having recovered from the back injury, Mayank recently received his maiden India call-up for the three-match T20I series against Bangladesh, starting on October 6 in Gwalior.
On the eve of the opening T20I, India skipper Suryakumar Yadav said Mayank has the X-factor and the series against Bangladesh is a chance for the speedster to make an impact.
"The series is a good chance for the youngsters. Mayank has that X-factor and others as well. I have not played in my nets thus far. But have seen his potential and the impact he can make," Surya said in the pre-match press conference.
However, the Indian captain remained non-committal regarding Mayank’s debut in the series opener against Bangladesh
"We were discussing the team just now. If you asked me 10 minutes later I would have told you whether he would play or not. But surely he has that extra pace. Need to manage him properly. There is a lot of cricket going on both international and domestic circuit," said Surya.
"He is a good addition to the Indian team. He is doing his fitness (drills) as well," he added.
Meanwhile, Suryakumar confirmed in the presser that wicketkeeper-batter Sanju Samson will open for India alongside young Abhishek Sharma, who made his debut during the T20I tour of Zimbabwe in July.
“Sanju Samson will open with Abhishek going forward in this series,” he told reporters.
Surya displayed his bowling skills in the last series against Sri Lanka and is all for batters rolling their arm over for an over or two if the situation demands.
"It can only be good if we can get couple of overs from the batters. In this squad most of them can bowl. We saw that in Sri Lanka as well. If you have the skill why not," he concluded.
(With TOI Inputs)
