Former India bowling coach Paras Mhambrey has launched a scathing attack on the BCCI over its handling of emerging fast bowler Mayank Yadav. Despite a dazzling debut in the IPL 2024, where Mayank Yadav showed his potential with seven wickets in four games and the fourth-fastest delivery of 156.7 kmph in IPL history, his journey has hit an unexpected hurdle.
The young right-arm spinner, who was signed by the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) for INR 20 lakh in last year’s mini-auction, impressed everyone with his pace and accuracy in the IPL 2024. His performance led many pundits and former cricketers to call for his inclusion in the Indian cricket team.
Paras Mhambrey questions BCCI’s approach to Mayank Yadav’s development
Mayank Yadav, a 22-year-old off-spinner, has been out of action for over three months, recovering from an injury at the National Cricket Academy (NCA). He was expected to make a comeback in the Delhi Premier League (DPL) but opted out of the tournament and was later ruled out of the upcoming Duleep Trophy 2024.
However, BCCI secretary Jay Shah revealed that Mayank Yadav will remain under close surveillance at the NCA but made it clear that there are no guarantees regarding his selection for India anytime soon, and even for the upcoming 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia later this year.
Responding to the BCCI’s delay in introducing Mayank Yadav on the world stage, Mhambrey criticised the board’s approach and said that his potential is being wasted by keeping him out of action. The former Indian bowling coach believes that Mayank Yadav needs to actively participate in first-class cricket to develop his skills and gain much-needed game experience.
You can’t wrap him in cotton wool and tell him he will get hurt: Paras Mhambrey
Paras Mhambrey told The Indian Express newspaper: “I don’t agree that if he is not ready, we just don’t put him in the game. This is the age at which he has to bowl. The more you bowl, the more control you have, you know what your threshold is as to how much your body can take. You can’t wrap him in cotton wool saying he will get injured. We can’t bowl too much to him and exhaust him, but we have to be smart about how much he should bowl. As a fast bowler, he needs to play first-class cricket.”
Paras Mhambrey further noted, “When you play a season, you understand your bowling. You bowl in different conditions. Physically, you will be tested in different phases of the game. Sometimes, you will have to be on the ground for six sessions. And being able to bowl with the same intensity in the last session will give you confidence when you play at the international level. I strongly believe that Mayank needs to put in maximum effort in the domestic season.”
Meanwhile, Paras Mhambrey argued that excessive caution and an over-emphasis on injury prevention could hamper the Delhi lad’s growth as he called for a balanced approach where the young pace sensation can play and learn from real-life game situations to gain confidence and experience.
His injuries can be controlled if we understand his background well: Paras Mhambrey criticises BCCI’s injury prevention strategy
Even former Indian bowling coach Paras Mhambrey blamed lack of exposure to red-ball cricket for Mayank’s recent injury woes, stressing the importance of assessing his background, including his previous cricketing experiences, training methods and injury history, to manage his fitness and workload effectively.
Paras Mhambrey pointed out that Mayank is only 22 years old and his body is still developing. He added that the young runner is in that age group prone to injuries and his body is not yet fully developed, so his injuries “can be managed if his past is understood properly.”
Paras Mhambrey concluded by saying, “His background needs to be checked. How much cricket has he played? How many deliveries has he bowled? We need to dig deeper into him, what have been his training methods? How many overs did he bowl? His injury history. From now on, fitness, technical aspects and workload will be the parameters for Mayank.”
