Veteran India batter Hanuma Vihari said that young star pacer Mayank Yadav should move out of the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) after the first T20I against Zimbabwe. India beat Zimbabwe by seven wickets to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series as well. Mayank Yadav returned to the side after being away for close to two years due to injury and on his comeback, he returned with exceptional figures of 2/18 from four overs. And, Hanuma Vihari opined that the pacer must get more chances in the tournament going forward as well.
“These guys should get more opportunities in the IPL. For example, Mayank Yadav missed out last season because there were also Prince Yadav, Mohsin Khan, and Avesh Khan in LSG, so you can miss out. If he moves out of LSG, he will get more chances and can play consistently. But one thing about LSG is that they retained him even if he was not able to play all games, took care of his surgery and have groomed him, so definitely the loyalty factor will be there,” he said in a video on his YouTube channel.
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“The thing with fast bowlers, which is slightly different from batters, is that when you have express pace, selectors notice you. It is very rare to have that quality to bowl that pace. So I am very happy for someone like Ashok Sharma as well. Even if he did not get a wicket on debut, the pace he generated is a good sign,” he again added.
However, Mayank Yadav had last played international cricket in 2024 before returning to the team. He also reflected that his pace had slightly come down from before but was impressed with the improvement in his line and length as well.
“The planning was good. They used Mayank Yadav for three overs in the powerplay, and he bowled well. He was rapid. He showed what he can do if he is fully fit. When he started in the IPL, he would bowl 155, now it is 145, but it’s not like that pace is not enough. What he has improved is his line and length drastically. If he keeps up this level of consistency, he is definitely one for the future. If he maintains that consistency in his line and length with pace, he will be a real threat to any batter, even quality batters will struggle,” Hanuma Vihari cocnluded.
