The Indian Express (Delhi Edition)
Handle with care: How 150kph pacer Mayank can be a long-term prospect
GURSHARAN SINGH and Parvinder Awana — two former Delhi coaches, who have seen Mayank Yadav from close quarters are delighted with the youngster's comeback from injury and his performance in the Indian Premier League (IPL) so far. But at the same time, they also have some advice for the speedster.
Gursharan who pushed for Mayank's selection in the Delhi team compares his burst to young Ishant Sharma.
"Wrap Mayank in cotton wool. In India, we don't get such raw pace," smiles Gursharan. He adds: "When I saw him the first time at the nets,hisworkethictookmebacktwodecades. He reminded me a lot of Ishant. I was Delhi's U-17 coach when Ishant burst onto the scene. Tall, slim, bowling lots of overs in the nets, all those traits are in Mayank as well."
Gursharan throws in a word of caution for Mayank, who has been prone to injuries. "He needs to strengthen his legs because he bowls 150 plus. For that he needs to work on his lower body a bit. He can take a cue from Mohammed Shami, the way he has worked on his legs after the knee surgery is remarkable. He is still 21 and I guess once he is in the
India set up, you will see he will be a different beast. "says Singh.
Parvinderawana,whopickedmayankfor Delhi U-19, when he was the bowling coach of the colts and then took him under his wings pipes in with advice. "He could be a great asset for the next decade, we shouldn't overuse him. He needs to be handled carefully. There should be a certain plan for him, just like Bumrah has," says Awana, who has played two T20IS for India.
Change in action
Gursharan and Awana have noticed that the Delhi bowler has tweaked his action a little. "He has changed his action slightly. Earlier his head used to tilt a lot towards the left. He has also worked on his body. He is looking fitter and I don't think there will be more injuries now. He is looking in fine rhythm and the follow-through also has improved" says Gursharan.
Awana says the three injuries in two years have helped Mayank understand his body better. "He is injury-prone like any fast bowler. But he has worked on his action, the run up, and loading, his release point is more towards the batsmen, that's why his bouncers are so difficult to face.
Parvinder Awana shares a scorecard of a Cooch Behar Trophy (2019-20 season), where the then 17-year-old Mayank blew away Madhya Pradesh with his raw pace.
"He is a way better bowler in longer format cricket. He got injured on his Ranji Trophy debut against Maharashtra but was bowling rockets. In U-19, I can recall one of his spells against MP at Stephens. He bowled an eightover spell (7.5-4-10-6), and I overheard few of the MP batters muttering 'yaar ball dikha hi nahi (I was not able to see the ball),'" laughs Awana. Gursharan talks about Mayank's debut for Delhi's senior team in Vijay Hazare Trophy (2021-22 season), where Haryana needed 12 runs in two overs and Mayank bowled a maiden in the 49th over.
"I can never forget that over he bowled at the Sector 16 Stadium in Chandigarh. He was playing his first match and he stepped up. It tells you about the character of this boy," says Singh. Gursharan says Mayank's high-arm action and accuracy make him potent. "He is yet to unleash his slower ones. Wait till he starts bowling those. His wide yorkers are gold dust. He has not bowled in the slog overs yet but you will see once he bowls the 18th and 20th overs," says Singh.
Glenn Maxwell has heaped praise on the pace sensation and explained how he couldn't prepare himself despite watching Lucknow's previous match.
On ESPN'S Around the Wicket show, he said, "He has some real extra speed that you don’t really see a lot around world cricket at the moment. You see guys bowl pretty consistently around the 140 (kph) or high 140s. But to have mid-150s consistently in your arsenal is pretty formidable.”
‘Pick Mayank for T20 WC’
Parvinder Awana feels Mayank should be on the flight to the US and Caribbean, for the T20 World Cup. "He is at his peak. He is bowling fast, taking wickets. It doesn't matter how many first-class matches and List A he has played, if he is troubling the likes of Bairstow, Maxwell, and Green in the IPL, then he is certainly good enough," says Awana.
"If we have Bumrah with the new ball and in the death, then Mayank can be a menace in the middle overs. Gursharan backs Mayank to make India's Test squad for Border Gavaskar Trophy to be played in Australia.
"Mayank bowls well in four day cricket as well. He moves the ball both ways. When you are pitching the ball up at 145 and if it will move a little, the world's best will be vulnerable. Cameron Green's wicket was a classic Test cricket dismissal. His surprise element is his bouncer. It climbs on the batsman because it goes up after hitting a good length. It hurries the batsmen, you can't duck his bouncers," says Singh.