There’s nothing sexier in cricket than an express pacer—just something about a bowler steaming in and throwing rockets. The ohs and ahs of the crowd and professional batters looking like club cricketers make you sit right on the edge of your seat. There is a short list of bowlers who consistently bowl at 150 clicks in cricket history. Their list gets even shorter when you talk about Indian bowlers, and Mayank Yadav already sits at the top of the list.
The 22-year-old has already bowled the fourth fastest bowl in IPL history, and he’s bowled 73 deliveries in his career. The selectors were so impressed by the pacer that they’d thought of taking him to Australia for the 5-match Test series. Unlike Umran Malik, the previous speedster who wowed the world, Mayank had control over his line and length.
Mayank Yadav injury struggles
However, just like the IPL 2023 season, injuries derailed him this year as well. He got injured in May. Three months later, we have no update on when he’ll be fit again. All we know is that he’s currently at the National Cricket Academy (NCA). He wasn’t part of the Delhi Premier League auction and wasn’t named in the Duleep Trophy squad. So is he still in contention for the India vs Australia Test series? BCCI Secretary Jay Shah hasn’t opened or closed the door on him.
“I cannot give you any answer on Mayank Yadav as there is no guarantee whether he will be in the team or no. But he is potentially a good fast bowler, and we are looking after him. He is currently in the NCA.” the administrator said while talking with the Times of India.
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Ready for Test cricket?
Let’s assume Mayank Yadav was fit. Does he make India’s squad for the Australia Test series based on his raw pace? While his control was impressive, we can’t judge someone’s performance in T20s as a barometer for Tests. 15 overs a day aren’t that big of a deal for a pacer in Test cricket; the question is, can Mayank do that right now in his career?
He’s played just one first-class game back in December 2022, and unsurprisingly, he got injured. 18 months later, Mayank has yet to play a red-ball match. He was awarded a fast-bowling contract from BCCI, but it’ll be truly shocking if he makes the Indian test team without performing in red-ball cricket.
Mayank Yadav’s first-class record
| Mat | Inns | Balls | Runs | Wkts | Ave | Econ | SR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 104 | 46 | 2 | 23 | 2.65 | 52 |
