It will most likely be a battle of debutants between Harshit Rana and Mayank Yadav to determine who will secure a spot in the playing XI for IND vs BAN T20Is. Coming off an impressive IPL 2024 season, both bowlers have been rewarded and named in the squad for the upcoming series against Bangladesh. With Arshdeep Singh set to spearhead the pace attack, only one more vacant spot for a speedster is up for the grabs in the XI.
Mayank Yadav or Harshit Rana – who will make it to the XI?
Both Mayank Yadav and Harshit Rana sizzled with memorable performances in IPL 2024. While Mayank’s IPL season ended prematurely owing to an injury, Rana was a part of the title-winning KKR side. Five months after the tournament, both speedsters are staring at making their potential debut for Team India, something that is much-awaited.
Mayank Yadav’s ascension to glory
Mayank Yadav made a name for himself in IPL 2024 with his fiery 150+ kmph deliveries. Despite taking just seven wickets from 4 matches, the LSG pacer grabbed eyeballs with his ability to bowl at high speeds consistently. Sadly, as it comes with the ability to bowl quick, Mayank was sidelined with an injury. However, he has been in the scheme of things, especially in the eyes of the selectors who have expressed their interest to nurture the youngster and the management taking it upon themselves to oversee the pacer’s recovery and workload management.
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Harshit Rana and his prolific tale in 2024
Having made his IPL debut in 2022, Harshit Rana shot to fame with his bowling in IPL 2024. The speedster finished IPL 2024 with 19 wickets to his name, bettering his record from 2023 by 14 wickets. The KKR pacer was named in the squad for IND vs SL ODIs but warmed the bench through the series.
With the ability to bowl a variety of deliveries, Rana is arguably one of the best finds for Team India and has the chance to cement his position in the T20I side once he manages to get a breakthrough. Not to forget, Rana strengthened his case for inclusion with a four-wicket haul in the Duleep Trophy 2024 as well. While he has managed to stay away from injuries, it remains to be seen how he can match the pace that Mayank Yadav bowls at.
Mayank Yadav vs Harshit Rana
It will be interesting to see the route that the selectors will take when it comes to giving these young speedsters opportunities. One one hand, they would need to ensure Mayank Yadav is not overloaded in terms of workload management, given his history with injury. On the other side, they wouldn’t mind handing Rana more opportunities, given he has the ability to deliver in terms if varieties.
Arshdeep Singh will serve as the spearhead and a full-time pacer in IND vs BAN series while Hardik Pandya will assume the role of the all-rounder fast-bowling option. The team also has Shivam Dube and Nithish Kumar Reddy at their disposal as alternative options for pace. Given that the squad is dominated by a majority of spinners or spin all-rounders, the battle for the 2nd pacer would indeed come down to Mayank Yadav vs Harshit Rana for the one coveted spot.
