Mayank Yadav. (Source -IPL/BCCI)
Lucknow Super Giants’ (LSG) young fast bowler, Mayank Yadav, has recently received considerable attention following his consecutive Player of the Match awards in the ongoing IPL 2024. The 21-year-old finished with figures of 3/14 against Royal Challengers Bengaluru before claiming a three-wicket haul against Punjab Kings in his first-ever match in the IPL. With this, he became the first player to earn back-to-back Player of the Match awards in his first two games.
He was showered praises by cricket pundits and they all opined that he could be a potential contender for the much-awaited ICC T20 World Cup 2024 which is scheduled to be held from June 1. Meanwhile, the right-arm pacer is keeping himself grounded and stated that he has no such expectations.
“I have said this a lot of times that since childhood [I was waiting] when will I be able to showcase my ability. And I never expected that I’d get such a good response. I never thought about it, but I feel very good,” Yadav said in an exclusive chat with CNN-News18.
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“I have one goal and that is to play for the country, and I want to serve as long as I can for my country. For now, I have no expectations of what will happen after the IPL; and there are people talking about the T20 World Cup [selection] and other series, but I have no such big expectations,” he added.
I think it is my natural ability that I can generate this much pace: Yadav
Mayank Yadav has made a significant mark in IPL history, delivering one of the fastest balls ever recorded in the league. He now holds the record for the most deliveries above 155 kmph in the IPL. In his second match against RCB, he reached a speed of 156.7 kmph, surpassing his own record of 155.8 kmph against PBKS. Speaking about this feat, he attributed it to his innate ability to bowl fast.
“I think it is my natural ability that I can generate this much pace; and you can push your natural ability to a limit, after that hard work is very necessary. I was blessed that I found people around me who were very helpful. They helped me a lot during my initial days,” the 21-year-old said.
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Reflecting on his delivery at 156.7 kmph, Yadav revealed he wasn’t conscious of its record-breaking speed until after the match. He further mentioned that he is looking to bowl even faster in the future.
“I could not understand at that time because all my focus was on the match. After the match, 2-3 players told me about and then I realized that my speed was better than the last match. The more my speed increases, the better,” he remarked.
“I do not like if someone hits me for boundaries. My goal is, how big a batter it may be, I want to dominate them. And it’s not just now, it’s been like that since my childhood. I like creating pressure and I want to dominate every single time,” he said further.