India should play Mayank Yadav at 2026 T20 World Cup, not 2024: Tom Moody

Former Australian all-rounder Tom Moody reckons India should play Mayank Yadav at the 2026 T20 World Cup and not 2024. Yadav hogged the limelight when he clocked more than 150 kmph in the ongoing season of the IPL.

The youngster from Delhi bagged Player of the Match awards in his first two matches against Punjab Kings and Royal Challengers Bengaluru, bagging three wickets each in both game. However, Yadav bowled a solitary over against Gujarat Titans and left the field due to soreness in his abdomen area.

Since then, the 21-year-old, who missed the previous season of the IPL due to injury, hasn’t played for Lucknow Super Giant.

“I’ve loved what I saw for a first couple of games, it was quite extraordinary to the point you want to see the replays of that game. But you cannot have a knee-jerk reaction and pick him in the World Cup, when he has only played two games and got injured,” Moody told ESPNCricinfo.

“You don’t really know what he’s capable of doing over a long period of time, under pressure and in different roles. Yes, he’s an absolute lock for the future, and look after the asset. For me, it’s the 2026 World Cup you should be looking at (with him),” he added.

Meanwhile, former West Indies fast bowler Ian Bishop wants the Indian board to manage Yadav’s workload with guile and give him a strength and conditioning coach.

“Everybody agrees that Mayank Yadav is a special talent. It is very rare to have someone who can consistently bowl around 145 kph and go up to the mid-150s. Mayank has got something that you cannot buy: pace and control,” said Bishop, as quoted by ESPNCricinfo in his column.

“But he also has an injury history, and in this, he is not unique. We have seen several Indian fast-bowling talents break down. Rohit Sharma, I remember, had expressed his frustration about bowlers picking up injuries frequently.”

“Mayank’s body needs management and it needs great strengthening. How do we ensure his talent gets the chance to blossom fully?” he concluded.

Lucknow Super Giant will next take on Chennai Super Kings at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai on Tuesday.