The 17th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) has already witnessed some sparkling performances from the young Indian players. Mayank Yadav is one of them who has ruffled a few feathers with his exceptional bowling in two matches so far. The 21-year-old has been clocking more than 150 kph constantly while also delivering the fastest ball of the season - 156.7 kph in the previous outing. He has also accounted for six wickets so far picking up three each in two outings and also won the player of the match awards on both occasions.
Former England cricketer Stuart Broad is extremely impressed with Mayank over his performance and reckons that the pace bowler should be fast-tracked to international cricket. According to Broad, he shouldn't be made to grind in domestic cricket and should be groomed to play top-flight cricket as soon as possible.
"I don't think he needs to come through a grind of playing (domestic) cricket, his body will naturally harden up with the quality of cricket he is going to play. He has got a really smooth run up, he has got a brace front-leg delivery (when the bowler's leg acts as a brake to help transfer the run up speed into action), he knows the line and length, he is trying to bowl and has genuine pace.
"The best learning place for any young bowler is as high a standard as you could possibly play. I did a lot of my learning at international cricket, played at a young age, he is learning on the job in the IPL, playing against the best — that is just the best place to learn," Broad told PTI.
At the same time, Broad also cautioned that Mayank Yadav won't perform and win player of the match awards every match and that the expectations around him should be managed accordingly. "I would be very tempted to get him in and around the Indian setup, just not necessarily (he) has to play, just to learn from the quality of players that they have because India have got something special on their hands if they manage him well.
"Yes, he is going to pick up injuries, he is going to have time out of the game because of the genuine pace that he bowls, but he looks in fantastic rhythm. Two Player of the Match (awards) in his first two IPL games is almost unheard of as a fast bowler. I expect him to play all three formats. I am sure he swings the red ball just judging by his seam position with the white, but we also need to manage expectations around him. He is not going to get a Player of the Match every single game," Broad added.
