India’s greenhorn pacer Mayank Yadav revealed that head coach Gautam Gambhir had asked him to stick to the basics in his debut T20I against Bangladesh at Gwalior on Sunday. Yadav admitted he was a bit nervous after he was handed over his maiden cap by former spinner Murali Kartik.
Yadav also became the third Indian bowler to begin his T20I career with a maiden over. Before him, the only two players who delivered a maiden in their debut match for India were Ajit Agarkar and Arshdeep Singh.
“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 Jio Cinema.
“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.
The gun fast bowler also clocked 149.9 kmph but more importantly, he was accurate with his line and length. The fast bowler from Delhi returned with figures of 1-21 in his four overs quota and accounted for experienced Bangladesh batter Mahmudullah Riyad. Yadav added that his focus was on hitting the right length.
“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.
Yadav also changed his pace as the Gwalior pitch was on the slower side, and he showed that he isn’t just a one-trick pony.
“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 said.
Asked about Gautam Gambhir, with whom he has also spent time at LSG, Yadav said, “Nothing extra, he [Gautam Gambhir] 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.”
The second match of the series will be played at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi on Wednesday.
