Young tearaway Mayank Yadav made an immediate impact on his much-anticipated India debut in the first T20I against Bangladesh in Gwalior on Sunday (October 6).
Mayank started off with a maiden over and claimed his first international wicket in just his eighth delivery, dismissing Bangladesh veteran Mahmudullah Riyad.
The 22-year-old also hurried the visiting batters with his raw pace and returned with the figures of 1 for 21 in four overs.
After the game, Mayank Yadav acknowledged that he was more nervous than excited in his maiden international outing.
"I was indeed excited but was a bit more nervous. This series marked my comeback after the injury. I didn't play competitive cricket and then directly made my debut. That's why I was a little more nervous," Yadav told in a chat with Jio Cinema.
"The recovery period was tough for more. Quite a lot of ups and downs were there in the last 4 months. But more than me, it was tougher for the people who worked with me," he added.
While Mayank is known for his express pace, he was keen on hitting accurate lengths in the series opener against Bangladesh.
"Today I focused more on my body. Also, I was determined to hit the proper lengths instead of bowling faster. I didn't think about my speed. I just tried leaking the least runs possible and bowling at a proper line and length.
"I did bowl the slower ones in the IPL as well but not much. I had a word with my captain and he asked me to rely on my stalk ball more than trying out variations. But coming to Gwalior, the wicket didn't have much bounce so I changed my pace accordingly," he remarked.
Mayank also opened up about the important message he received from head coach Gautam Gambhir ahead of India debut.
"Nothing extra, he asked me to stick to the basics and do the things that have yielded positive results for me in the past. He asked me not to think much about trying different things or even think that it was an international game. Following the process was the key," the speedster revealed.
Coming to the match, India registered a comprehensive seven-wicket victory over Bangladesh in the opening T20I at the New Madhavrao Scindia Cricket Stadium.
Opting to bowl first, the hosts bundled out the visitors for a low total of 127 runs in 19.5 overs as Arshdeep Singh and Varun Chakravarthy claimed three wickets each.
In reply, the Men in Blue overhauled the target in just 11.5 overs thanks to sizeable contributions from Hardik Pandya (39* off 16), skipper Suryakumar Yadav (29 off 14) and Sanju Samson (29 off 19).
With this victory, India took a 1-0 lead in the three-match T20I series. The second game of the series is slated to be held in Delhi on Wednesday (October 9).
