Latest pace Sensation Mayank Yadav Speaks To TOI About India Call-Up, Injury Which Is Common Among Javelin Throwers And How Sonnet Club Took Care Of All Of His Needs…
KANPUR: Mayank Yadav was having his dinner at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) when he learnt the selectors had picked him for the T20I series against Bangladesh. “I wasn’t aware of the selection.But I saw my mates here receiving congratulatory calls. I just checked the BCCI website and got to know my name was there,” Mayank told TOI.
He rang up his mother, spoke to her about six minutes before she got emotional and tears started rolling down her cheeks. “Once I put down the phone, I had flashbacks in front of my eyes—from the day I first went to Sonnet Club to the four anxious months spent at the NCA to recover from frequent niggles,” he said of his first reaction.
Mayank is just 22 and he has only played one first-class match, 17 List A matches and 14 T20s for Delhi before the four exciting IPL matches for LSG this year. That’s not a lot to go by before being picked for India. It’s his electric pace which easily breaches the 150 kmph mark on the speed gun that stood out.
Excerpts from a conversation:
A lot is said about your pace…
I was not aware I could bowl this quick. I always thought I bowled at a pace which is normal for anybody. Devender Sharma sir (coach at Sonnet) and people in Delhi cricket would tell me I am bowling 150 kmph but I never believed them. In my first session at LSG in 2022, I bowled for a while. The support staff asked me to guess the speed of my deliveries. I said 140 kmph since I felt I bowled in a good rhythm. But then they told me I was bowling 149 and 150 kmph throughout. That’s when I realized I could bowl really quick.”
Your injury and rehab at NCA…
When I was with LSG, I went to Dr. Dinshaw Pardiwala (one who treated Rishabh Pant and looks after India’s Olympians). He told me my side strain is not a regular one. It happens to athletes in high-intensity sports like javelin or there must have been a major impact with an object. When I went to NCA after IPL, it was found that I was not taking enough protein. Since I am a strict vegetarian, I had to be given supplements. I had other niggles when I was about to get fit. It was agonizing but people at NCA like Troy Cooley and my trainer Rajnikanth were helpful. I can tell you that I understand my body now.
You are very attached to Sonnet Club…
When I went for a trial for a summer camp there as a 14-year-old, I got picked immediately. But the fee was around Rs 35 thousand. My father had a very small business and could not afford that amount. But Devender sir and late Tarak Sinha sir immediately waived the fee for me. They said they would take care of me then on. My father never spoke to me about cricket since. Even yesterday, he didn’t speak to me. Sonnet is special to me. Even at NCA, I met Rishabh (Pant) bhaiya. He was helpful and talked so much about how the club is doing. That’s what Sonnet does to its players.
Could you elaborate on how Sonnet helped you?
I could never afford bowling shoes. Tarak sir and Devender sir once noticed it. They gave me the money to buy my shoes as per my wish. I never thought I was any special bowler. Once during a camp in Jaipur just before Covid lockdown, I was hiding in a group of players. Tarak sir told everyone at the ground: “There is a bowler here who is really special. He will be in Delhi’s Ranji probables in no time and will be playing for India in four years and that is Mayank Yadav.” From then I never had issues with my confidence. I was 15 when Devender sir made me play in a semifinal of a senior tournament. I got four wickets there. I had issues with my line and length but they kept giving me matches till I got consistent.
You have already worked with Gautam Gambhir and Morne Morkel at LSG…
Gautam bhaiya had once told me that there will be players who get multiple chances to prove themselves and there will be some who will get just one opportunity. I was struggling to even find a sponsor for my shoe despite being in an IPL team and having played for Delhi. Gautam bhaiya’s words stayed with me. He and Vijay Dahiya (former coach at LSG) had clearly told me that I would get my first game after one or two years. When the opportunity came this year, I had to make it count. The day after my IPL debut, I got offers for my bowling shoes. As far as Morne is concerned, he doesn’t speak much. If he observes anything then he will come and point it out. He will mostly talk about strategies.
