Gautam Gambhir sent Mayank Yadav a message before 1st Bangladesh T20I© BCCI/Sportzpics
One of the fastest pacers in the world, Mayank Yadav had a positive international debut, picking up a solitary wicket as India defeated Bangladesh by 7 wickets in the opening T20I of the 3-match series on Sunday. Mayank, who falls in the category of express pacers, impressed everyone in his debut outing, not just with the pace he bowls with but also his variations. After the end of the series opener, Mayank revealed an important message coach Gautam Gambhir sent him ahead of his maiden international outing.
"I was indeed excited but was a bit more nervous. This series marked my comeback after the injury. I didn't play competitive cricket and then directly made my debut. That's why I was a little more nervous," Yadav told in a chat with Jio Cinema after the match.
"The recovery period was tough for more. Quite a lot of ups and downs were there in the last 4 months. But more than me, it was tougher for the people who worked with me," he added.
Mayank revealed that he was more determined to bowl accurate lengths in the match than being faster. Since it was his first international game, the express speedster was more keen on being economical than sending the speed gun off the charts.
"Today I focused more on my body. Also, I was determined to hit the proper lengths instead of bowling faster. I didn't think about my speed. I just tried leaking the least runs possible and bowling at a proper line and length.
"I did bowl the slower ones in the IPL as well but not much. I had a word with my captain and he asked me to rely on my stalk ball more than trying out variations. But coming to Gwalior, the wicket didn't have much bounce so I changed my pace accordingly," he explained.
Revealing an important message from the head coach Gautam Gambhir, Mayank said that he was asked to not think too much about his maiden international game. Sticking to basics was key and that is exactly what Gambhir told him to do.
"Nothing extra, he asked me to stick to the basics and do the things that have yielded positive results for me in the past. He asked me not to think much about trying different things or even think that it was an international game. Following the process was the key," Yadav concluded.