Gambhir's advice was to focus on strengths and abilities: Mayank Yadav on his T20I debut

Gwalior: Speedster Mayank Yadav said Indian head coach Gautam Gambhir didn't tell him to do anything different other than focusing on his strengths and abilities on his T20I debut against Bangladesh in Gwalior on Sunday.

The 22-year-old pacer, who had a breakout IPL 2024, did live up to the billing and started his international career with a maiden over while showcasing his sheer pace and control on the ball.

“He didn’t ask me to do anything extra or differently. His advice was just to focus on my strengths and abilities, and to do what I do best—things that have worked successfully for me in the past. He told me to stick to those and not put pressure on myself by overthinking that I’m now playing international cricket. Just sticking to the basics and playing to my strengths will pave the way forward for me," Mayank told JioCinema on head coach Gambhir's advice to him.

Mayank, who returned with the figures of 1-21 in his four overs, explained his focus was to remain consistent with his lengths.

“My pace is always in the back of my mind, but throughout my IPL journey, I’ve learned that consistency is key in this format, especially at the international level. Line and length are crucial, and being consistent with them really helps - even the batsman starts to respect you. So, recently, I’ve been focusing more on being consistent with my line and length," he said.

Mayank also talked about his recovery from a recurring abdominal strain that ruled him out of the IPL 2024 after four games.

“The time during my injury was really difficult because I had to go through many phases in the last four months, witnessing ups and downs. For the people working with me, I felt they also faced difficulties. So, the phase between the IPL and my debut was a bit tough," he said.

The speedster talked about his bowling variations and said, “During the IPL season, I didn’t use slower balls much because they weren’t really required. I used to talk with my captain, and he would ask me to focus on my stock deliveries. If the wicket was helping me, I wouldn’t try too many variations. So, I relied on my stock balls and didn’t use slower ones as much. But today, the wicket was slow, with little bounce and keeping low, so I realized that a change of pace might help.”

Arshdeep Singh and Varun Chakravarthy bagged three wickets each to bowl out Bangladesh for 127. In reply, Hardik Pandya's blistering 39 off 16 balls laced with five fours and two sixes coupled with 29 each from Sanju Samson and captain Suryakumar Yadav took the side over the line with 49 balls to spare.

The second T20I between India and Bangladesh will be played at Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi on Wednesday.