Former India spinner R Ashwin has supported young pacer Mayank Yadav after his brilliant performance in the first T20I between India and Zimbabwe in Harare on July 23. Mayank Yadav picked two wickets to help India win the first game.
Mayank Yadav made his comeback to international cricket after battling injuries for over two years. Mayank's IPL team, the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), has kept him for the past two seasons despite his numerous absences due to injury. Given that the pacer would stay out and only play a few games, the decision was criticized.
Ashwin, however, explained the drawbacks and challenges of suffering a stress fracture at a young age by throwing weight behind the bowler. He praised the 24-year-old Mayank and expressed his desire for him to continue playing cricket.
"It is not easy to go through a stress fracture at a young age. We often see and think, why is he always retained? He is always injured. We easily say this. No player plays to get injured. Injury can be very painful. It is not just physical but also a mental barrier, especially if you are injured twice. It is not easy on the body. If it resurfaces, it plays on your mind. Mayank Yadav has a lot of time and is exceptionally talented. I want him to play more," Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.
Mayank suffered a succession of injuries, including a lumbar stress fracture, lower back spasms, side strains, and a hamstring tear. However, he made his India T20I return after two years and picked 2/18, including a wicket off the first ball of the first match.
Shreyas Iyer received congratulations from Ravichandran Ashwin on his first victory as Indian captain. Before the Zimbabwe tour, the Men in Blue had lost six of their seven games under Iyer, with one ending in a draw.
But Ashwin didn't say much about the triumph, saying that since it was a low-scoring, one-sided match, there wasn't much to discuss.
"Congratulations to Shreyas for the first win. He would have been searching for it. There is not a lot to see when you restrict Zimbabwe to 120-odd. Mayank, Prince, and Ashok all got an opportunity," he said.
The second and third T20Is between India and Zimbabwe will be played on July 25 and 26 in Harare.
