What's going on with India's pace sensation Mayank Yadav? Constantly getting in & out of the team
The Indian Cricket Team are set to take on Fierce-Rivals England in a home bilateral series as both teams will be taking on each other in a five-match T20 International series and a three-match One-Day International series. The squad of the Men in Blue has also been announced and Suryakumar Yadav is set to handle the captaincy duties in the T20I series.
At the same time, experienced spin-bowling all rounder Axar Patel will be Surya's deputy and experienced seamer Mohammed Shami is also a part of the T20 International squad as he looks to get into shape and regain his match-fitness ahead of the 2025 Champions Trophy. The 34-year-old has made his highly-awaited return to the national setup after a long gap of almost 14 months.
Why didn't the selectors pick Mayank Yadav in the T20 International squad versus England?
Young speed sensation Mayank Yadav didn't get a place in the T20I squad for the series versus the Three Lions. The 22-year-old who impressed everyone with his ability to bowl at the speed 150 km/h and stunned the batters in the 2024 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL), is still injured and has not regained his match fitness.
Yadav participated in the T20 International series versus Bangladesh last year and it was also his debut series for the National Team. He performed in a brilliant manner, managing to dismiss four batters in three contests at a good economy rate of 6.91.
Following the conclusion of that series, the LSG speedster suffered back problem and since then he has been away from Cricketing action. He has been doing his rehab at the Centre of Excellence of the BCCI since the last few months. The 22-year-old was not even included in Delhi's team for the Ranji Trophy fixture versus Saurashtra which begins from the 23rd of January onwards. This shows that Mayank Yadav is still very far away from regaining his match-fitness.
The Lucknow Super Giants seamer created a name for himself by impressing everyone with his stormy bowling in IPL 2024. He crossed the 150 KMPH mark several times and he bowled with accurate line & length too. His fastest speed recorded in the previous edition of the cash-rich T20 league was 156.7 KMPH, which was also the fastest delivery bowled by an Indian bowler in that particular season of the IPL.
He dismissed seven batters in four games for the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in the 2024 edition of the IPL at an average of 12.14 and an economy rate of 6.98. However, he wasn't able to take part in many matches due to injury related issues.
He left the field after bowling an over versus the Gujarat Titans (GT) on the 7th of April, 2024 and suffered a muscle strain. After recovering from it, he made his comeback in the contest versus five-time winners Mumbai Indians (MI) on the 30th of April, 2024. But then, he suffered a side strain and wasn't able to take part in any other match for the Lucknow based team.
Mayank Yadav's injury troubles a cause of concern for the Lucknow Super Giants
If we take a close look, Mayank has been able to take part in just three matches including Domestic & International Cricket since IPL 2024. The way he bowled in IPL 2024, there was hope that he will have a bright future ahead of him for Team India. Due to his ability to bowl at a really fast pace, he was awarded with a fast-bowling contract by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) but due to his constant injury related issues, he has failed to live upto expectations.
Fast bowlers who bowl at the speed of 150 KMPH Or more are more prone to injuries and this is exactly what happened with the young pacer. Due to suffering injuries on a constant basis, his career seems to be 'out of track'. He has played in just a single first-class match so far for Delhi, in which he has dismissed two batters. Apart from this, he also has 34 scalps to his name in 17 List-A games and 23 scalps in 17 T20 contests.
Despite facing injury issues constantly, LSG expressed faith in Mayank Yadav and retained his services for a massive price tag of 11 crore Indian RupeesRupees ahead of IPL 2025. If the 22-year-old fails to play in the entire IPL 2025 season, the Lucknow based team will face a lot of issues. Due to injury, he was completely ruled out of IPL 2022 and 2023 seasons.
