CHENNAI: The 6 feet 1 inch tall Mayank Yadav instantly rose to fame when he turned the Lucknow Super Giants clash against Punjab Kings on its head in Lucknow on Saturday. By then, Punjab were cruising as openers Shikhar Dhawan and Jonny Bairstow had already put 101 runs on the board in 11 overs while chasing 200. The next over, the 21-year-old from Delhi not only bowled the season's fastest ball at 155.8 kmph but also managed to hurry the Englishman with his pace to give the hosts the much-needed breakthrough.
He then went on to claim two more wickets as the KL Rahul-led side registered its first win of the season. But before making a name for himself by virtue of his four sensational overs on his IPL debut, Mayank, who also won Player of the Match trophy, underwent a series of heartbreaks which often can demoralise an aspiring cricketer.
Injuries pegged him back whenever he started turning eyeballs with his performance. Signed by the Lucknow franchise in 2022, he didn't get a game in his inaugural season and missed the next edition due to injury. And then came the time when chief selector Ajit Agarkar wanted to see him bowl in the Ranji Trophy as the national team was apparently on the lookout for a pacer for the India-Australia Test series this year.
Once again, he missed the opportunity. "Agarkar was searching for him as he was quite impressive during the 2023 Deodhar Trophy. I asked Mayank to talk to him. But he was in rehabilitation at the time. Agarkar wanted him to feature in Ranji matches but that couldn't happen. Akash Deep got the debut during the series," Devender Sharma, head coach of the famous Sonnet Club in the national capital, told this daily.
With injuries frequently troubling him, Mayank decided to work on his fitness almost a year ago and since then he has been spending around 2.5-3 hours every day to stay fit. "He grew taller but his legs were weak. The hamstring injury started troubling him. So it was decided to work on the muscles which were weak. Every day in the morning, he works on his fitness for around three hours. It's only in the evening that he bowls in the nets. This has been going on for a year. After the recent injury ahead of the Ranji season, he was called to Mumbai by the LSG physio. Now, he has a workout plan for every day. Even during his visit to Delhi on breaks, he doesn't rest," added the coach.
Mayank was brought to the club seven years ago by his father Prabhu Yadav. According to Sharma, the then 14-year-old didn't even have spikes but had the pace to rattle batters older than him. "He is a god-gifted talent. The first ball he bowled in the club was fast. People are recognising him now but I have been saying this for the past five years that he is a very good prospect," Sharma reminisced.
Legendary coach Tarak Sinha, who passed away in 2021, started the club in 1969 and produced 12 international cricketers apart from numerous First-Class players. Sharma said Mayank remembered Ustaad ji, as Sinha was called fondly, after the memorable IPL debut. "He called me at midnight after the match and said everything went off smoothly on the debut. Ustaad ji is my guru as well so every player from the club remembers him whenever he does well. Mayank was bound to feel pressure but I can guarantee that he will come out better in his next outing. He got a very good yorker and slower delivery as well."
The youngster stuck to the plan he had made in advance with Sharma and it reaped rewards at Ekana International Cricket Stadium on Saturday. "Bairstow is a world-class batter. He plays good cut and pull shots. These days in T20s, almost all the batters try to play on the back foot. He waits for the ball. The plan was simple not to give room to the batters to play the shot. If the ball is on your body, you cannot play the shots as you would be cramped for the room."
Sharma strongly believes Mayank can bowl at 160 kmph in the upcoming matches as he will be more confident after the dream debut. Like every coach, he also hopes Mayank dons India jersey and wins laurels for his family and club. "I want him to perform well in the IPL and go on to play for India like many of our wards," the coach signed off.