"At least get him in the squad" - Brett Lee urges Indian selectors to pick Mayank Yadav for BGT 2024-25 if Mohammed Shami is unfit
Former Australian fast bowler Brett Lee believes that tearaway speedster Mayank Yadav would be a great addition to India's pace attack for the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy Test series against Australia. The cricketer-turned-commentator urged the Indian selectors to pick the youngster in the squad if veteran bowler Mohammed Shami fails to fully recover in time.
Mayank grabbed headlines for his fiery spells in the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL) for the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG). He consistently clocked 150 kmph, even registering 156.7 on the speed gun.
However, his dream run was halted by an abdominal soreness and he featured in just four games. The rookie bowler recovered from the injury and made his T20I debut during India's three-match home T20I series against Bangladesh earlier this month.
He claimed four wickets across three games at an economy rate of 6.91. Heaping praise on Mayank, here's what Lee told Fox Sports' The Follow On podcast:
"They put him (Mayank) in cotton wool for a bit. The great thing about India is that they are not worried about how much cricket someone has played or hasn't played, if he is ready to go, get him in there. I love that theory. I can tell you that batters are okay when you bowl that 135-140 kmph speed, but when you bowl high 150s, I don't care who it is, no one wants to face that."
"He looks like someone who is the complete package, if Mohammed Shami is not ready, at least get him in the squad. I think he would do pretty well on these Australian wickets," he added.
It is worth mentioning that Mayank Yadav is one of the traveling reserves in India's ongoing three-match home Test series against New Zealand.
"India is a powerhouse that don't want to bow down" - Brett Lee's warning to Australia
In the aforementioned podcast, Brett Lee fired a warning to Australia by suggesting that India are a powerhouse in world cricket who know that they can beat any given opposition.
The 47-year-old remarked:
"This day and age, India is a powerhouse that don't want to bow down. They know how to win, and they know they can beat Australia; they know they can beat the Kiwis. They know they can beat anyone on any given day."
It is worth mentioning that India have had the upper hand over Australia in Test cricket over the past few years. They have won the last four editions of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, two of which were held on Australian soil.