Mark Wood who? A comet is born in Lucknow to shatter speed guns and ceilings
The illuminating LED board right atop the Ekana Stadium in Lucknow beams - 'Adab se haraayenge' (Will defeat with grace). While there was a certain grace in the 21-year-old Mayank Yadav's easy-going run-up, that's where the association ends. For it was sheer rampage as soon as the ball left his hand.
In the age of cutters, knuckleball, and back-of-the-hand deliveries to meet the cruel demands of the lopsided game, Mayank Yadav's scorching spell was a refreshing change of pace (pun intended), and a sight to behold (if you could spot the ball, that is).
LSG's pace attack was crumbling following Mark Wood and David Willey's unavailability for the season, and to their credit, amid all of the replacements, they had the answer to revive their pace department all along. The indications that Mayank Yadav would be a serious part of the plans were there prior to the season itself, especially when LSG head coach Justin Langer spoke of him as a potential savior to resolve the pace attack crisis.
To paint a picture, Mayank Yadav made an impact In Lucknow, perhaps one of the venues least associated with being a haven for pacers. Now imagine the result when he is unleashed at the Wankhede or the Eden Gardens, hopefully in the near future.
Although the victor from the relaid surface might be LSG, the biggest winner of the change might have been Mayank Yadav. For such a display was hardly fathomable at the old, and rather dullish Ekana surface.
How did Mayank Yadav turn the game around in the blink of an eye?
The hosts, despite posting 199 on the board following a rather start-stop batting innings, looked flat after Jonny Bairstow and Shikhar Dhawan crossed the 100-run mark for the opening wicket. Stand-in captain Nicholas Pooran had tried almost all of the tricks up his sleeve to combat PBKS's breezy start.
The left-handed spinner matchup against Jonny Bairstow did not work early in the innings, nor did the experience of Krunal Pandya and Ravi Bishnoi at the venue. The skipper eventually introduced his lone, remaining bowler into the attack - Mayank Yadav, and that finally did the trick for LSG.
In white ball cricket, it is the middle overs where games are won or lost naturally, more often than not. In the subcontinent for instance, there are countless examples of teams bouncing back in that particular phase. However, what makes this scenario different is that it was a pacer who sowed the seed, nurtured the plant, and ate the fruit as well, rather than the spinners running the show as usual.
Everyone expected the duo of Krunal Pandya and Ravi Bishnoi to bring the team back into the game in the middle phase, with some tight overs and the odd wicket, as they have done several times before. But, the script had the debutant's name underlined in bold, and maybe even in caps.
Mayank Yadav was a tad unlucky at first in his battle against Shikhar Dhawan. The veteran simply used the pace to his favor, but the sense of discomfort the speedster was causing was evident, so much so, that even Matthew Hayden predicted a wicket on-air right before it as well.
Inevitably, Jonny Bairstow got a stroke wrong, playing the ball terribly late and getting a cruel reminder of facing Mark Wood in the nets back home.
Mayank Yadav had to earn his wickets as batters continued to get away by using his pace to get runs somehow. He reaped the benefits in the latter part of his spell by dismissing Prabhsimran Singh and Jitesh Sharma.
The youngster, bowling four overs on the trot, ended with figures of 3-27 and was rightly adjudged the player of the match. When he entered the bowling attack, PBKS had 10 wickets in hand while the required rate was just a touch above 10. By the time Mayank Yadav left the battlefield after emptying his arsenal, the opposition were reeling at 140-3, embracing a required rate of 15, and that sums up the impact he brought quite perfectly.
Wrap Mayank Yadav in wool or let him fly?
It will be Mayank Yadav's historic 155.8 kmph delivery that makes the headlines. But, the highlight of his spell, even more so than the wickets, is the accuracy with which he delivered throughout. It was an aspect that was pointed out by Nicholas Pooran during the post-match presentation.
"That's the story for the night, eh? Can't say much, that was inspired. He's a young guy who has had a lot of injuries. Everyone in the team is happy that he got a chance to show what he's about. It's one thing bowling fast, but he's also so accurate," Pooran said during the post-match presentation.
Mayank Yadav, despite his unique attributes and traits, is not the first ultra-speedster for India nor is he going to be the last. The candidates from the past and present alike, the Varun Aarons and the Umran Maliks, have succumbed either to injuries or inaccuracy or even both at times.
However, given his age and the environment he is currently in, early measures can be taken to ensure that he does not fizzle out as fast as his bowling speed. As far as his performance levels are concerned, he has a good guardian in Morne Morkel at LSG and Ishant Sharma in the Delhi circuit to help him grow.
The youngster himself remarked that injuries were the obstacles that held him back till now. And since it has already happened in the past, there is no reason to believe that it will not happen again.
"Never thought it would be such a good debut. Was nervous before the match. Tried to stick to my pace and aim at the stumps. Was thinking about using slower ones initially, but stuck to the quick ones. First wicket (Bairstow) was special. It's good to debut at such a young age. Had a few goals, but can't help if injuries come in the way," Mayank said during the post-match presentation.
Orchestrating a collapse in his very first outing, Mayank Yadav has exceeded expectations, but now he moves onto the toughest part, where several before him have struggled, and that is implementing consistency.
It would not be considered odd if people wished for something after witnessing a comet on the ground instead of the sky. Although it is deemed superstitious, when has the world of cricket ever been concerned about that stigma?