Mayank Yadav credits mental strength for stellar return in 1st T20I vs Zimbabwe

Indian pacer Mayank Yadav credited mental toughness and improved body awareness for his successful return to international cricket. Coming off a 21-month injury layoff, Mayank took a wicket on his first ball to finish with 2-18 against Zimbabwe

Harare:India pacer Mayank Yadav has credited mental fortitude and renewed body awareness for his comeback from a gruelling 21-month injury layoff and an impactful spell of 2-18, helping the visitors restrict Zimbabwe to 125/7 in the first T20I at the Harare Sports Club on Thursday.

Mayank, who missed a lot of on-field action due to a stress fracture in the back needing surgery in Christchurch, New Zealand, in July 2025, made an immediate impact by removing Brian Bennett with the very first delivery of the innings and was in absolute control of his lines and lengths to finish with 2-18 in his four overs.

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Generating sharp seam movement and raw bounce, Mayank rattled the opposition batters by regularly breaching the 140 kmph mark. “It’s always a great feeling when you come back and play for your country and especially bowl like this, this type of spell. It’s a fantastic feeling, and I don’t think I can describe it well through my words.

“Obviously it was there because I was coming after two years and there is always pressure when you come to play for your country. So, I was a little bit nervous. But my thinking and my plan was very simple to just execute my strength and just keep bowling,” said Mayank in a mid-innings chat with the broadcasters.

He also revealed that striking early helped him settle into his rhythm smoothly. “Definitely after the first ball wicket I calmed down a lot. I got confidence. I’m playing after a while, but still I can deliver with the skills I have, that strength I have; it will help me a lot on these types of wickets, especially.

Describing the arduous road back to full fitness, the tearaway quick highlighted the importance of mental strength during rehabilitation. “There are a lot of things: physical training, mentally. When you’re injured and, in that phase, mental strength makes a huge difference for any player.

“So, I think more than physically, for me, mentally I got much better, and I knew my body a lot after the surgery and after the rehab. So, it makes a huge difference for me,” he concluded.