LSG's Mayank Yadav bowls against the Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium. (Express Photo by Amit Chakravarty)It was an afternoon where Lucknow Super Giants’ Mayank Yadav started with a delivery that clocked 141kmph and ended his four-over quota with an off-cutter bowled at 109kmph. The Delhi speedster who caught the eye after he hit 156.7 kmph on the speed gun last season has been hampered by injuries. And playing his first competitive outing since the T20I series against Bangladesh last October, the key takeaway from his return game is that Mayank has come back as a slower bowler. At least going by the first sighting.
Maybe he is treading cautiously — given the back injury he has had — before going full throttle. According to those in the know, a long-term plan has been put in place to ensure he gradually increases the load and pace.
But not once on Sunday where he bowled four overs (4-0-40-2) did he even attempt to bowl at tearaway pace with his fastest ball clocked at 142.7 kmph.
From the time Mayank came onto the scene, raw pace has been his USP. It is what prompted the selectors to hand him a fast bowlers’ contract at the end of an impressive but injury-curtailed IPL season last year. It even led to him being fast-tracked into India’s T20I squad versus Bangladesh.
However, he suffered a back injury after the series against Bangladesh.
At the Cricket of Excellence (formerly NCA) in Bengaluru, he had been working with bowling coach Troy Cooley to make subtle tweaks that would keep him injury free.
Given his lean frame and the inexperience of bowling long spells, it was always going to be interesting as to what changes would Mayank make on his return. It is understood that the reason why he had to cut down on pace is to ensure the back pain issue doesn’t trouble him as he has already missed the domestic season.
At the Wankhede, when bowling to Mumbai Indians’ batsman, Mayank did come across as a changed bowler, one who even had the confidence to send down cutters after being hit for a couple of sixes by Rohit Sharma in his second over.
While he conceded 6 runs in his first over, in the second and third he was taken for 13 and 15 runs respectively.
However, he ensured it wasn’t a completely forgettable outing, delivering a very good last over in the 16th, where he removed Hardik Pandya with one that reversed and came in to take the off-stump. After that despite Suryakumar Yadav in full flow, he managed to keep him quiet with slow deliveries – off-cutters and split fingers – as even Naman Dhir struggled to pick those.
Having spent more than five months recovering from a back injury, it wasn’t a perfect return for Mayank by any means, but one that would do a world of good for his confidence.
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