Picture Credit: X
Former England fast bowler Stuart Broad lauded Lucknow Super Giants debutant Mayank Yadav, who played his debut IPL match against Punjab Kings on March 30. Yadav bowled an unbelievable spell and ended up taking crucial wickets of Jonny Bairstow, Prabhsimran Singh, and Jitesh Sharma and ended with 3-27 in four overs. Not only this, but he also bowled the fastest delivery of the season so far at the speed of 155.8 kmph.
Yadav garnered attention from cricket experts and fanatics all across the globe, which also include names like Stuart Broad. The former cricketer lauded Yadav for his control over line and length along with his pace. In an interview with Star Sports, Broad also revealed the message he sent to Steve Smith regarding Yadav. Broad said, “He has natural pace, but his control of line and length was exceptional for a young bowler. Sometimes, as a young bowler, you can come in and charge in with the emotion and try and bowl as quickly as possible. But the radar goes. But I thought his control of the lines was fantastic.”
The 37-year-old added, “You don’t need to get far ahead. But I have already texted Steve Smith. If you are seeing this guy in Australia in the Test series, get used to it.”
I had been visualising my debut for one and half year: Mayank Yadav
The LSG pacer opened up on his magical maiden IPL spell and said that he had been visualising his debut for more than a year. Yadav was quoted by Cricbuzz as saying, “For the last year and a half, I had been visualising my debut. How my first ball would be and how I'd manage myself with the ball in front of such huge crowds. Everyone told me that there would be pressure and nervousness, but I honestly didn't feel that. When my captain gave me the ball, I felt from inside that I belonged straightaway and there was a lot of confidence."
The youngster also revealed how the coaching staff helped him be in good spirits and keep the thought process simple. The 21-year-old said, “JL (Justin Langer) and Morne (Morkel) never told me to work with anything. They know that my pace with hard lengths are good. They just told me to keep plans simple, bowl quick on hard lengths, and attack the stumps as much as possible."