Speaking exclusively on JioCinema, India’s Mayank Yadav opened up about his emotions before his debut: “I was excited, but to be honest, I was a little more nervous because I was making a comeback almost 3-4 months after my injury. I hadn’t had many opportunities to play competitive cricket, and then suddenly got the chance to make my international debut. So, I was a bit nervous.”
Yadav shared the challenges of his journey from the IPL to his international debut: “The time during my injury was really difficult because I had to go through many phases in the last four months, witnessing ups and downs. For the people working with me, I felt they also faced difficulties. So, the phase between the IPL and my debut was a bit tough.”
Yadav also discussed the use of slower deliveries:“During the IPL season, I didn’t use slower balls much because they weren’t really required. I used to talk with my captain, and he would ask me to focus on my stock deliveries. If the wicket was helping me, I wouldn’t try too many variations. So, I relied on my stock balls and didn’t use slower ones as much. But today, the wicket was slow, with little bounce and keeping low, so I realized that a change of pace might help.”
He further explained what he focused on during the game—whether it was line and length or variations: “My pace is always in the back of my mind, but throughout my IPL journey, I’ve learned that consistency is key in this format, especially at the international level. Line and length are crucial, and being consistent with them really helps—even the batsman starts to respect you. So, recently, I’ve been focusing more on being consistent with my line and length.”
Yadav also shared Team India head coach Gautam Gambhir’s advice to him: “He didn’t ask me to do anything extra or differently. His advice was just to focus on my strengths and abilities, and to do what I do best—things that have worked successfully for me in the past. He told me to stick to those and not put pressure on myself by overthinking that I’m now playing international cricket. Just sticking to the basics and playing to my strengths will pave the way forward for me.”
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