• Source:JND
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India vs Bangladesh T20I Series: After making a promising start to his international career as India defeated Bangladesh in the 1st T20I, pacer Mayank Yadav revealed a crucial message head coach Gautam Gambhir sent him ahead of his first international outing.

The Delhi pacer, who made a fine comeback after he picked up an injury in the Indian Premier League (IPL), left Bangladesh batters beguiled with his superheated pace and returned with economical figures, even though he could only take one wicket.

Mayank opened up about his debut experience and confessed to feeling nervous on his international debut, admitting that the layoff from competitive cricket since his IPL injury had heightened his anxiety.

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“I was indeed excited but was a bit more nervous. This series marked my comeback after the injury. I didn’t play competitive cricket and then directly made my debut. That’s why I was a little more nervous,” Yadav told Jio Cinema.

“The recovery period was tough for more. Quite a lot of ups and downs were there in the last 4 months. But more than me, it was tougher for the people who worked with me,” he added.

Mayank disclosed that Gautam Gambhir's instructions played an important role in his successful debut as the head coach's advice was straightforward: focus on the fundamentals and avoid experimenting with new strategies.

“Nothing extra, he [Gautam Gambhir] asked me to stick to the basics and do the things that have yielded positive results for me in the past. He asked me not to think much about trying different things or even think that it was an international game. Following the process was the key,” Mayank concluded.

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Mayank attributed his speed deviation approach to the pitch conditions, which delivered little help to fast bowlers. 

“Today I focused more on my body. Also, I was determined to hit the proper lengths instead of bowling faster. I didn’t think about my speed. I just tried leaking the least runs possible and bowling at a proper line and length.

“I did bowl the slower ones in the IPL as well but not much. I had a word with my captain and he asked me to rely on my stalk ball more than trying out variations. But coming to Gwalior, the wicket didn’t have much bounce so I changed my pace accordingly,” he said.

The Delhi-tearaway's remarkable debut was marked by his intelligent pace deviation, as he always bowled in the 135-149.9 kph range.