Zaheer Khan believes Mayank Yadav will only get better from here as he believes it is the right environment for him to thrive.
Zaheer Khan believes that pace tyro Mayank Yadav will keep getting better and faster as time passes.
Mayank made his competitive return to cricket after six long months in yesterday’s game against the Mumbai Indians. While LSG eventually lost the game by a big margin, they will be encouraged with the way Mayank acquitted himself after a long absence.
Mayank opened the bowling for LSG against the Mumbai Indians (MI), returning statistics of 2 for 40 in four overs. During his spell, which was divided between the middle overs and powerplay, he took the wickets of Hardik Pandya and Rohit Sharma.
According to Zaheer, LSG will adhere to the Mayank regimen developed by the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence, formerly the National Cricket Academy.
Zaheer Khan on Mayank and his development
“It’s about going and executing and doing the job for the team. So, in terms of his preparation, we’ve had constant dialogue with the NCA,” Zaheer said after LSG’s 54-run defeat at the Wankhede. “There is a plan in place about how he should be approaching, what kind of programmes he should be following. And we are just creating that environment for him to just flourish.”
“You’ve seen with him in the last one, one-and-a-half years [that] when you come in and bowl, and then have these setbacks, it can play on your mind as well,” Zaheer said. “You’ve got to comfort that side of things as well. With Mayank, we’ve taken that kind of approach. I’m happy that he’s gotten through the game and I’m happy to see him field all 20 overs. With the processes he’s been following. I feel it’s only going to get better is what my instinct tells me. It is just about getting through each and every game and following the processes in consultation with the physios and the trainers.”
Mayank’s comeback
In LSG’s last two games, Mayank was listed as a replacement. However, LSG lost a few early wickets after batting first on each of those occasions. This forced them to use Ayush Badoni as the Impact Player as an extra hitter. When they decided to bowl first against MI on Sunday, they immediately let Mayank loose. In his first over, he reached a speed of 142.7 kph, which was slower than his pre-injury speeds.
He was pulled after taking consecutive sixes as he continued to pace against Rohit. The former MI captain was dismissed as he lost pace and strayed wide. He struck the stumps with an in-angling length ball towards the end of the middle overs, outpacing Hardik for pace. After recovering from an injury, Zaheer was happy to see Mayank “cross the hurdle” of participating in a competitive match.
“I’m happy with the way he’s bowled. It’s important that he had to get through the game, so he stayed on the 20 overs, bowled his four overs. The execution is only going to get better. The speeds are only going to get better as he plays more. Considering all things, I’m happy with the way he’s gone about considering it’s his first game.”