Former Australian cricketer Brett Lee has expressed significant admiration for rising star Mayank Yadav, particularly following his impressive performances in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024. Yadav has made waves by consistently clocking speeds of over 150 km/h, which has posed serious challenges for batters throughout the tournament.
With the Border-Gavaskar Trophy set to begin in Perth on November 22, Lee believes that India should seriously consider Yadav for selection, especially if Mohammed Shami fails to recover in time from his injury. Currently, Yadav is listed as a reserve bowler for the ongoing home series against New Zealand, and the Indian team management is closely monitoring his progress. If deemed fit, Yadav could potentially make the trip to Australia.
“The great thing is that my role allows me to work during the IPL, where I get to observe many promising young Indian cricketers,” Brett Lee remarked during an interview with Fox Cricket. “Watching Mayank in his first IPL game was exciting; he hit 157 km/h right off the bat. Unfortunately, his franchise may have brought him back too soon from injury, but his performance was noteworthy.”
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Brett Lee is particularly impressed by India’s approach to selecting players, noting that they aren’t overly concerned with how much experience a player has.
“If a player is ready to go, they get the call-up. I truly appreciate this philosophy. When you bowl at speeds of 135-140 km/h, batters can handle that. But when someone comes in bowling in the high 150s, regardless of who they are, facing that can be intimidating. Mayank appears to be a complete package, and if Shami isn’t fit, he should definitely be included in the squad. I believe he would perform well on Australian pitches,” Brett Lee asserted.
Should Shami recover before the series, Brett Lee maintains that he will be crucial for the Indian team. He also praised the skills of Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj, highlighting Siraj’s ability to extract movement from the new ball and apply pressure on the Australian batting lineup. Furthermore, Lee acknowledged the prowess of spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, emphasizing his approaching milestone of 600 wickets and his versatility in bowling with the new ball.
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“Ashwin has that beautiful shape in his spin deliveries, and if India wants to win in Australia, Shami’s experience could be vital. We all recognize Bumrah’s talent, especially his skill with reverse swing, while Siraj knows how to make the new ball talk,” he concluded.
