Zaheer Khan trying to help Mayank Yadav play longer without breaks

Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) [India], February 5 (ANI): Former Indian pacer and Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) mentor Zaheer Khan indicated that the franchise is in no mood to rush young pace sensation Mayank Yadav back into competitive cricket and is instead, putting effort and energy into making sure that he is a long-term option as a bowler without any breaks, according to a report by ESPNCricinfo. 

Mayank had an injury-ridden 2024. After rising to fame with two 'Player of the Match' performances in his first three Indian Premier League (IPL) games during which he troubled plenty of sports stars with his consistent 150 kmph-plus pace, accurate and controlled line-and-length, he faced an abdominal issue that ruled him out of the tournament. After recovering from that injury at the National Cricket Academy (NCA), he picked up another injury there while bowling. 

In October, he earned his India debut. During his first match, he hit the 145 kmph speed consistently in his four-over spell and finished the series with four wickets. Excitement about his future with the Indian side and the fans' dreams of seeing him and Jasprit Bumrah together were just picking up, but he picked up an injury once again before the T20Is against South Africa in November last year. He has not featured in competitive cricket since then, but his potential and speed led to LSG investing Rs 11 crores in retaining him during the mega auction. 

Zaheer said that a roadmap toward Mayank's recovery is being worked on along with NCA.

"We have had some interesting conversations around his roadmap to recovery and fitness with NCA, so we're working with them. We hope for their support as well, them buying into the philosophy of really looking after a youngster, because he is not only important for LSG, he is important for Indian cricket as well," said Zaheer to reporters as quoted by ESPNCricinfo. 

Zaheer's main priority is to have Mayank bowl at high speeds and have a considerable workload without breaking down repeatedly, saying, "You know a bowler of his calibre, to be able to play consistently for the long term, that is where I am trying to put in all my efforts and energy, in terms of giving him the best environment which will really help him play longer without really taking these breaks. I think that is really important and that is the outlook which we have."

"So as much as we are keen on having him [play IPL 2025], we want him 150 per cent fit not just 100 per cent fit so we will do everything possible to get him there," he added. 

Head coach Justin Langer spoke on the same lines, saying that Mayank would take some time to settle and shrug off injuries. 

"We know how exciting he is, we watched that last year... Some of that pace last year was extreme pace, so we're very hopeful but he is a young fast bowler, and it does not matter what country you are from, it's a hard business being able to bowl that pace, and with a young body, it is going to take some time to develop. So we are hopeful and positive, but we will wait and see how things progress over the next little piece," said Langer.

Speaking about the franchise's new captain, star India wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant who also became the most expensive player in IPL history at Rs 27 crore, Zaheer hoped that he retains his expressive self while captaining.

"I have no doubt the kind of player he is, I hope he stays as expressive when he captains," Zaheer said. "We want to imbibe those values within the team as well. When we were looking at him as captain, we were looking at a kind of flavour LSG should play. We hope LSG approach their cricket the same way Rishabh plays his cricket," he added. 

"I believe in T20 cricket, most the important person in the team is the captain. If I am selecting a team, the number one person is captain so we are thrilled to have Rishabh, with his style of play," Langer said.

"We are going to be on the edge of our seat. It is going to be exciting to watch, he has got something different not many have. He has this freedom, talent, and a way about him where he is going have a real impact as captain and player," he concluded. 

LSG ended at the seventh spot last season with seven wins and losses each, failing to make it to the playoffs.

LSG SQUAD
Batters: Aiden Markram, David Miller, Ayush Badoni (retained), Himmat Singh, Matthew Breetzke
Wicketkeepers: Rishabh Pant, Nicholas Pooran (retained), Aryan Juyal

Allrounders: Adbul Samad (spin), Mitchell Marsh (pace), Shahbaz Ahmed (spin), Yuvraj Chaudhary (spin), Rajvardhan Hangargekar (pace), Arshin Kulkarni (Pace)

Spinners: Ravi Bishnoi (retained), M Siddharth, Digvesh Singh

Fast bowlers: Mayank Yadav (retained), Mohsin Khan (retained), Akash Deep, Avesh Khan, Akash Singh, Shamar Joseph, Prince Yadav. (ANI)