Suryakumar Yadav has labelled him the one with the X-Factor; Mayank Yadav is already well on his way to proving that that’s no empty boast from the captain: For more than five months since the end of April, Mayank Yadav didn’t play a single competitive fixture.

But what he had done for Lucknow Super Giants during his four appearances in IPL 2024 before a side strain cut his season short couldn’t be wished away easily. India’s Mayank Yadav bowls during the first Twenty20 cricket match between India and Bangladesh at the Shrimant Madhavrao Scindia Cricket Stadium in Gwalior on October 6, 2024.

The aura around Mayank was just beginning to grow when he was forced to sit out the rest of the tournament. It was a shattering blow to the young man, who had reason to believe he would be fast-tracked into international cricket. India had TO ALL OF YOU TO already allowed Umran Malik, the tearaway from Jammu & Kashmir.

they knew what he brought to the table. Once he was available for selection, it was a no-brainer that he would cut his teeth in international cricket in Gwalior in the first of three T20Is on Sunday. Mayank came with a lot of understandable hype, catalysed largely by his unmatched ability to generate express pace.

Worldwide, pace has been an irresistible magnet; in India, where unalloyed speed isn’t commonplace, Mayank was hot property, but the big question was whether he could marry it with control, whether he could resist the temptation to believe all the hype about him.

How did Mayank Yadav perform on his India debut?

In four overs at the brand new Shrimant Madhavrao Scindia Cricket Stadium, Mayank reiterated that he is a talent worth investing in. His first delivery, a loosener if you like, was measured at 142 kmph; his next clocked 146. His first over was a maiden, to Towhid Hridoy, and he took a wicket with his eighth ball, having former Bangladesh captain Mahmudullah caught at deep point.

After a first spell of 2-1-3-1 that straddled the Powerplay, Mayank went for 15 in his third over, which can happen to the most seasoned in the 20-over game. He returned to bowl the 19th, where he regathered focus and conceded only three. By the end of the night, he had figures of 4-1-21-1; only two other Indians had bowled a maiden in their first T20I appearance, Agarkar and Mayank’s teammate Arshdeep Singh. As far as first appearances go, this was far from shabby.

Mayank would certainly have entertained nerves going into his first India outing. It also goes without saying that he will concede plenty more runs in time to come, because such is the nature of the 20-over format and such is the lot of those who bowl really quickly – his fastest.

ball on Sunday was 149.9 kmph. But already in his brief representative career which translates to 33 matches at the senior level, he has shown that he has the heart, the temperament, the intelligence and the smarts, not to mention the skills, to be a long-term India prospect.

In Gwalior, Mayank showed that there is more to him than just searing pace. He found movement in his first over, the sixth of the innings, and he bowled more than one well-disguised slower delivery.

Even in this era of throwdown specialists and bowling machines, he was able to surprise Bangladesh’s batters with his additional pace. Suryakumar Yadav has labelled him the one with the X-Factor; Mayank is already well on his way to proving that that’s no empty boast from his first T20I captain.