Premier India batter and T20I Captain Suryakumar Yadav would be looking to back the young express pacer, Mayank Yadav, who is on the verge of making his much-awaited debut against Bangladesh in the Blue jersey. Reflecting on what the youngster can bring to the table for the Men in Blue and with pacer nowadays getting more injury-prone, the T20I skipper stressed the importance of managing Yadav wisely.
Notably, Mayank who plays for the Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), made headlines when he bagged back-to-back ‘Player of the Match’ awards in his first two games before he got ruled out from the tournament, due to an abdominal injury. Since then, Mayank Yadav has been on the rehabilitation and road to recovery. However, the Captain revealed that Mayank was fully fit and raring to go against Bangla Tigers.
“He definitely has the X factor – it was evident when he played franchise cricket. He has that extra pace. I didn’t face him in the nets; our net plan was such that someone else faced him. But I have seen what potential he has and what difference he can make for the team. From that point of view, I feel he is a good addition to the Indian team and I am hoping he will do well,” said Suryakumar as per ESPNCricinfo.
“It’s important to manage him well because of the amount of cricket being played. Everyone is playing for their state too. There was the Duleep Trophy recently. So it is important to pay proper attention and the BCCI is doing that,” he continued ahead of the first T20I game.
For the unversed, Team India are all set to clash with Bangladesh in the three-match T20I series, with the first T20I slated to be played in Gwalior, on Sunday, October 6. The game will take place at the renowned Shrimant Madhavrao Scindia Cricket Stadium. Interestingly enough, the venue has yet to host an international game along with any domestic game either. Hence, the nature of the pitch and playing conditions remains a mystery for both teams.
However, Bangladesh’s talented batter Towhid Hridoy believes that looking at the pitch, it looked slow in nature and the visitors expect it to play accordingly along with a low bounce. Hence, a high-scoring affair certainly won’t be on the cards. On the contrary, Suryakumar Yadav said that the hosts have been practising for the last three days at the centre wicket. As per his observations, the pitch seemed good and evenly bounced and expects a similar surface for the first T20I.
“The pitch looks good. We practised on the centre wicket, just two pitches away. We didn’t find it that low and slow – we practised all three days. So it [the match pitch] should not be much different. For T20 cricket, these are good wickets. There will be good competition [between the bat and ball] but at the same time, it looks good [for run-scoring]. The rest we will get to know tomorrow,” stated the 34-year-old.
“Yes, it’s a new ground but having practised here for three days, we know what the conditions are, how the pitch is, how the outfield is, what the wind factor is like, whether the dew settles in or not. We will like to play the way we did in the last T20I series. And if everyone does their job, you will get the desired results,” the Mumbai-born further iterated.
It’s good if your batters can bowl an over or two: Suryakumar
Besides, Team India are sort of going through a period of transition under a new skipper. Sometime back, the Men in Blue were majorly operating with main bowlers while rarely using batters as part-time yet effective bowlers, especially in spin conditions. However, of late many batters have shown their bowling skills as well and will most likely continue to chip in with a few important overs during the game.
“It’s good if your batters can bowl an over or two. I think there is hardly anyone in this squad who doesn’t bowl. That gives you more bowling options on the ground. As you saw in Sri Lanka, Riyan [Parag] bowled four overs. If someone says he can bowl in the pressure situation, then why not,” Suryakumar concluded.