A fit-again Mayank Yadav has been named in India’s T20I squad for the three-match series against Bangladesh that starts on October 6 in Gwalior. 33-year-old Varun Chakravarthy, who has had an impressive IPL is making a return to the national fold after the gap of three years.
Mayank Yadav, who has not played any competitive cricket for more than four months has been given fitness clearance by VVS Laxman, the current head of the National Cricket Academy (NCA).
“All credit to Laxman sir. He took a special interest in Mayank, right from the day Mayank went to NCA. He was given a clear instruction by Laxman sir to first work on his core strength and then start bowling,” Devender Sharma, coach of Mayank Yadav, told The Indian Express.
Mayank played only four games and bowled only 12.1 overs in IPL 2024. But he managed to set the tournament alight by generating a speed of 155kph consistently before picking up a recurring abdominal strain.
“It was a slow process. BCCI didn’t want to take any risk. He started bowling two months back, and it took him a month to get back to his normal speed. For the past six weeks, he has been bowling 15 overs per day at the NCA, another instruction given to him by Laxman sir,” said Devender.
Devender also revealed that VVS Laxman has cleared Mayank to only play in the T20Is.
NEWS 🚨 – #TeamIndia’s squad for T20I series against Bangladesh announced.
More details here – https://t.co/7OJdTgkU5q #INDvBAN @IDFCFIRSTBank pic.twitter.com/DOyz5XGMs5
— BCCI (@BCCI) September 28, 2024
Yes, there is a temptation to Mayank to Australia. But as far as I know, he will be tested in the T20Is first. Thereafter, he was told to play Ranji Trophy for Delhi. The NCA wants to monitor his body and whether it can cope with the pressure of four days or not. For now, he is fit to bowl four overs, in my opinion, he needs a season of domestic cricket to get ready for the four-day matches,” he said.
In the past, Jonny Rhodes, LSG’s fielding coach, had talked about India’s bowling coach Morne Morkel’s admiration for Mayank. “During the previous season (in IPL) Morne literally said, ‘Wow, this guy (Mayank Yadav), he’s like the Rolls Royce of bowlers, similar to how we used to call Allan Donald a Rolls Royce. He is LSG’s Rolls Royce.”
Varun returns
Varun Chakravarthy didn’t hide his emotions after he was ignored by the selectors for the five-match T20I series against Zimbabwe. In his Instagram story, Varun had written, “I Wish I Had A PR Agency.” However, with Gautam Gambhir at the helm, the mystery spinner has made his comeback after three years. He last played for India in the 2021 T20 World Cup in the UAE.
Varun had played a pivotal role in making Gambhir’s return to the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) memorable. After a slow start of the season, Varun picked up 21 wickets, the second-highest of the season and helped KKR lift the trophy. Varun was exceptional in the middle overs, where he took 19 wickets, the highest among all the bowlers.
In the recently concluded Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL), Varun played a key role in helping R Ashwin-led Dindigul Dragons win the trophy. The off-spinner picked up 12 wickets at an impressive economy of 6.61
Three seam-bowling all-rounders
Selectors have also picked three seam-bowling all-rounders in the squad. T20 World Cup winners Hardik Pandya and Shivam Dube have been joined by Nitish Kumar Reddy.
Nitish Kumar Reddy was ruled out from the Zimbabwe tour after he picked up an injury. Like Varun, the 21-year-old seam-bowling allrounder has impressed the selectors during the IPL. Playing for the Sunrisers Hyderabad, Reddy scored 303 runs at a strike rate of 142.92 and also picked up three wickets.
New role for Sanju
In the 15-member squad, Abhishek Sharma is the only genuine opener. It seems like Sanju Samson will pair up with Abhishek, who had a memorable debut in Zimbabwe, where he smacked a 46-ball 100. Sanju had opened for Rajasthan Royals in the past and with him up in the order, it means captain Surya Kumar Yadav will be back at his favourite batting position.
Squad: Suryakumar Yadav (C), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wk), Rinku Singh, Hardik Pandya, Riyan Parag, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Shivam Dube, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Varun Chakaravarthy, JItesh Sharma (wk), Arshdeep Singh, Harshit Rana, Mayank Yadav
Schedule
1st T20I – Gwalior (OCT 6)
2nd T20I – New Delhi (OCT 9)
3rd T20I – Hyderabad (OCT 12)
