Spotted by the late Tarak Sinha at the age of 13, Mayank Yadav on Saturday night in Lucknow had the entire Ekanna Stadium on its feet with his pace.
Lucknow Super Giants’ Mayank Yadav bowls a delivery during the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 T20 cricket match between Lucknow Super Giants and Punjab Kings, at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Stadium, in Lucknow. (PTI)
Bowling all over the world as a wrecker of pace, Jonny Bairstow was taken aback on Saturday night when he shaped to draw a back-of-length delivery from rookie Mayank Yadav as it raced at him. It was a dolly of a catch, and Mayank’s father Prabhu Yadav was warmed by the wickets he took with bouncers in an incredible spell of 3/27 against Punjab Kings, which included one at 155.8 kmph. It brought him back to a turning point in Mayank’s life at the age of 14, when he, a supporter of the legendary West Indian pacer Curtly Ambrose, sowed a seed in his son.
On his way back from his factory, which produces sirens for police and ambulances, Yadav sr. stopped at the Venkateshwara college in Delhi’s Sonnet Club to see Mayank bowl. The father would drop a nugget on the way back home, which would come back to haunt him years later in an IPL match at Lucknow’s Akana ground.
Mayank Yadav of the Lucknow Super Giants bowled the fastest ball of the IPL 2024. (PHOTO: LSG via X)
“I am fascinated by speed in life in general,” the statement goes. I adore superbikes, aircraft, and rockets. At the conclusion of the game, Mayank would remark, “I get a thrill from speed.”
The selectors had their eye on the speedster who had reached 153 km/h in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, as he was expected to recover from his side strain by the end of January and play in the recent Test series against England. “Mai ek pair pe khel jata agar mai 60 percent bhi ready hota” (I would have played on one leg if my body would have been 60% fit) was how a dejected Mayank expressed his emotions to this publication at the time.
Mayank’s passion for fast bowling began with a taunt from his father at their Motinagar, West Delhi, house, which is located a short distance from Virat Kohli’s childhood home. Ambrose and Dale Steyn, two outstanding fast bowlers, were participating. Yadav the son preferred the South African Steyn, but Yadav the elder preferred the Antiguan.
Prabhu Yadav, the father, told, “Muhje Ambrose aur Walsh kaafi pasand they (I used to love Ambrose and Walsh).” Ambrose was more notable for his quickness and his ability to bounce the batsman. I used to retell their stories to him over and over.