Sanjay Manjrekar was excited after Mayank Yadav burst onto the scene in the best possible way on his Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 debut for Lucknow in their match against Shikhar Dhawan’s Punjab. On Saturday, March 30, Mayank recorded the fastest ball of IPL 2024 after clocking a stunning 155.8 km/h.
Manjrekar was happy to the extent that he drew Mayank’s parallels with Rawalpindi Express Shoaib Akhtar, who still holds the record for the fastest delivery in international cricket.
Mayank won the Player of the Match award after LSG won the match by 21 runs. He finished with figures of 4-0-27-0. Apart from his ability to generate pace, the 21-year-old also showed impeccable control over his line and length.
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“India will be buzzing today. We have found the Delhi Express after the Rawalpindi express from Pakistan. Yeah, wonderful,” Manjrekar told Star Sports.
“Yes (he knows there’s a challenge from hereon). You know the chairman of the Indian selection committee, Ajit Agarkar is a former fast bowler. He gets very excited when he sees fast-bowling talent,” Manjrekar said.
‘We can fast-track him’
Manjrekar said that India can fast-track Mayank into the national setup and make use of his raw pace. He asked India to utilise Mayank’s services when the pacer is on top of his game.
“As I was saying on air, this kind of pace doesn’t stay with you for 7-8 years. When you have got itâæ Pakistan used to do it in the past. Waqar Younis, for instance. You sometimes have to fastrack fast bowlers,” Manjrekar said.
“Sometimes, it works. It’s just a format we have to decide. We can fast-track him. I know I am going far too ahead, but I was so excited seeing his pace. The slowest ball he bowled was 139 kph,” he added.
On the back of Mayank’s spell, not only did Lucknow won the match, but also opened their account in IPL 2024.
