Mayank Yadav says India dream kept him going through 21-month injury lay-off after match-winning return

Mayank Yadav credited his dream of representing India for helping him overcome a 21-month injury lay-off after starring with 2/18 in the opening T20I against Zimbabwe. The pacer also praised captain Shreyas Iyer for backing his bowlers.

Harare: Fast bowler Mayank Yadav said the dream of representing India kept him motivated through a challenging 21-month injury lay-off as he marked his international return with a Player of the Match performance in India’s seven-wicket win over Zimbabwe in the opening T20I at the Harare Sports Club.

Returning to international cricket after a lengthy spell on the sidelines, Mayank struck with the very first ball of the match and finished with impressive figures of 2-18. Along with fellow Delhi pacer Prince Yadav (2-19), he laid the foundation for India’s clinical victory before teenage sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi smashed a record-breaking 18-ball half-century to guide the visitors to a comfortable chase of 126 and a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.

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Reflecting on the difficult period away from the game, Mayank admitted that the lay-off tested him mentally. “It was very difficult, especially this two-year gap was very challenging for me as a person because the main thing is age wasn’t on my side at that time. I was only 22 or 23 years old,” Mayank told reporters after the match.

“So that thing always affected me that at such a young age, I’m having to see so much. At the same time, the motivation to play for the country exists from childhood for every player. So that motivation was there for me that I should return to play for the country and perform the way I did,” he added.

Mayank made an immediate impact by dismissing Brian Bennett off the opening ball after Ishan Kishan completed a successful review behind the stumps. He later removed Dion Myers with another lively delivery as Zimbabwe slipped to 32/4 before recovering to post 125/7 through Wessly Madhevere’s 39 and Tadiwanashe Marumani’s unbeaten 27.

Mayank also praised Iyer’s leadership, saying the India skipper gave his bowlers complete freedom to execute their plans.

“I didn’t speak much to him before the match. But when he was captaining, I felt that he showed a lot of confidence in the bowlers and I felt very good that whatever I wanted to bowl, he backed that,” Mayank said.

“When he gave me some advice too, I felt very confident that I could back that and it was a good option. I felt very free playing with him. It’s the first time I’m playing under his captaincy. I’ve only seen him lead on TV or with other teams, so it felt very good.”

India will look to seal the three-match series when the two sides meet in the second T20I on Saturday.