"Checked the BCCI website and got to know my name was there" - Mayank Yadav on maiden India call-up for IND vs BAN 2024 T20Is
Young Delhi pacer Mayank Yadav has said he ‘wasn't aware’ of his selection in the Indian team for the T20Is against Bangladesh. He added that after his teammates at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru started receiving congratulatory calls, he checked the BCCI website and found that his name was in the squad.
India will play three T20Is against Bangladesh at home from October 6 to October 12. The matches will be played in Gwalior, Delhi and Hyderabad. The BCCI announced the squad for the T20I series on Saturday, September 28, picking Mayank and all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy, both of whom impressed in IPL 2024.
In an interview with The Times of India, Mayank, who is at the NCA, opened up on how he came to know about his selection in India's T20I squad. The pacer said:
“I wasn’t aware of the selection. But I saw my mates here receiving congratulatory calls. I just checked the BCCI website and got to know my name was there."
The 22-year-old right-arm speedster added he was unaware he could bowl at 150 kmph. Even when his coach at Sonnet Club (Devender Sharma) and people in Delhi cricket told him about his pace, he did not believe them.
"I was not aware I could bowl this quick. I always thought I bowled at a pace which is normal for anybody. Devender Sharma sir (coach at Sonnet) and people in Delhi cricket would tell me I am bowling 150 kmph but I never believed them," he said.
"In my first session at LSG in 2022, I bowled for a while. The support staff asked me to guess the speed of my deliveries. I said 140 kmph since I felt I bowled in a good rhythm. But then they told me I was bowling 149 and 150 kmph throughout. That’s when I realized I could bowl really quick,” Mayank went on to add.
The fast bowler played four games for Lucknow Super Giants in IPL 2024, claiming seven wickets at an average of 12.14 and an economy rate of 6.99.
Mayank Yadav's stats so far
The young fast bowler from Delhi has only featured in one first-class match, claiming two wickets at an average of 23. In List-A cricket, he has played 17 matches, picking up 34 wickets at an average of 21.55, with a best of 4-47.
Looking at his stats in T20 cricket, Mayank has featured in 14 matches and has claimed 19 wickets at an average of 14.31 and an economy rate of 6.60. His IPL 2024 season came to a premature end due to a side strain.