When the Indian cricket squad for the T20I series against Bangladesh was announced, the main talking point was the inclusion of speedster Mayank Yadav. In IPL 2024, Mayank left a lasting impression on everyone by going for speeds above 150kmph, while showing flawless precision in his lines and lengths. He even clocked 156.7 kmph in one of his deliveries. He won the Player-of-the-Match award in his first two games for Lucknow Super Giants, but an abdominal strain soon sidelined him. Mayank then spent time at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru to recover and become match-fit by bowling eight to ten overs every day.

During his debut against Bangladesh in Gwalior, he bowled a maiden over and claimed his first international wicket in Mahmudullah. Wednesday’s second T20I between India and Bangladesh at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi marked the grand homecoming of Mayank, a product of the iconic Sonnet Club. In the first T20I, he went over 149 kmph while in the second T20I, he clocked 146-17 on a couple of occasions.

However, he is yet to touch 150kmph in international cricket. Seeing this, Bangladesh’s Tamim Iqbal made an observation.

“Mayank Yadav has not touched 150 in this series,” Tamim Iqbal said during commentary.

“Neither has Bangladesh,” replied Murali Kartik, who was his fellow commentator.

With the BGT series on the verge of commencement, the debate about India’s pace setup has been stirring among the fans.

RP Singh rooted for Akash to make the cut for the BGT series as he feels the skillset of the 27-year-old pacer is better suited for Australia conditions.

“I think Akash Deep should be in Australia. His bowling style suits the Australian conditions more. Mayank Yadav has pace and pace is one of the aspects of fast bowling. There are more aspects to it. He needs to slowly develop more variations and skills. Mayank is in the developing phase,” RP Singh, Expert, JioCinema and Sports18, said in a media conference.

The former left-arm seamer believes Mayank has to express himself in India’s domestic circuit as the red-ball cricket Tests patience and skills of a player.

“In a Test match, players patience and skill are tested. There is time for it. A lot of domestic cricket has to be played that Akash Deep and Mohammed Shami have played. Mayank is yet to enter the frame that both players have come through. I think Akash Deep is a better choice for the Australia series,” he added.

With IANS and ANI inputs