Leg and off: Should India prepare Mayank Yadav for Border Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25?
We are in August but the build-up for India's tour of Australia and the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in December-January has already begun. India's back-to-back wins Down Under and Australia's failure to replicate the same in the sub-continent has spiced the rivalry to another level.
Although India would seem to have the momentum and confidence, when it comes to playing in Australia, the home team always feels like favorites just based on their record. Indian fans and experts often think about trying something different to have an edge, knowing very well that playing to Australia's strengths would end badly.
In 2020-21, Jasprit Bumrah and the absence of Steven Smith and David Warner proved to be the difference. In 2022-23, Rishabh Pant was the X-factor who pushed Australia on the backfoot.
For this edition, former India batter Wasim Jaffer recently noted that Arshdeep Singh and Mayank Yadav could bring that ability.
"If Bumrah, (Mohammed) Shami and (Mohammed) Siraj stay fit and are able to play most of the series, India have a great opportunity for a hat-trick down under. Arshdeep could bring the left arm option. And Mayank Yadav dark horse provided he's fit and available. #AUSvIND," Jaffer said on X.
It's his calculated opinion. But does taking Mayank -- who just played a handful of games in his first IPL season in 2024 -- make sense for India?
We discuss both sides of the wicket in detail in this latest edition of Leg and Off:
Why it makes sense
Firstly, it's not a diabolically horrible idea. Mayank consistently cranked up 150kph in his short IPL stint but more importantly, he did it with relentless control over his line and lengths.
He hardly ever let off the area just above the off-stump, which meant that even if the batters managed to line up his pace, they couldn't hit him too far and wickets fell. That's the kind of bowler you'd love to have in Australia, where pitches sometimes die down and offer nothing to the bowlers.
Mayank's presence would also help India create an element of fear and surprise among the Aussies. They'd be desperate to win and find ways to counter Bumrah, Siraj and Shami and India will be able to challenge them with a bowler quicker and taller than all of them.
India can also simply unleash Mayank at the pacy and bouncy Perth to counter Australia's almost certain four-pace attack -- where he could be used in short spells without pushing his body to the limits -- and then let him rest till the Sydney Test irrespective of the result.
It's a high-risk approach with a massive upside, which might be too tempting for India to resist.
Why it shouldn't happen
But there's also logic to why India should resist the temptation. For one, Mayank is yet to recover from his IPL injuries because he hasn't been named in any of the squads for the upcoming Delhi Premier League.
Even if he recovers and becomes 100% fit today, India will need to ease him into the set-up because he hasn't played any first-class cricket yet. The team just don't know if his body will hold up against the load of multi-day cricket.
And that's a big risk when going to Australia. India have been at the wrong end of fast bowlers getting injured mid-game multiple times in that country. And once one of your fast bowlers goes down, the opponent's position just becomes a lot more comfortable because the remainder of your attack gets forced to bowl long, tiring spells.
It's not good for the player either. Australia is not the best country to start your Test career as a bowler because here, in front of packed crowds, the pressure is at its peak and the batters are smart enough to pick their moments in finding boundaries against you and making sure you don't get a sniff.
If the spell starts expensively, some bowlers end up conceding 100s of runs in a day and their confidence plummets. India can't afford to have any of these issues in such a crucial series.
Australia won't happily allow another injury-affected side to come and win here. They'll be at their best and India will have no option but to do one better.