IND vs BAN: Mayank Yadav selection shows India's focus on format specialists

Mayank Yadav was amongst some of the big call-ups by India for the upcoming T20I series against Bangladesh. The selection of the pacer shows India's new-found focus on using format specialists.

In Short

• Mayank Yadav overcame his injury concerns to be a part of India squad
• Parthiv Patel feels IPL performances are being rewarded
• Saba Karim claimed Mayank's inclusion was a Gambhir call

The Indian squad for the Bangladesh T20I series was announced on Saturday, September 28, and the highlight of the selection was the inclusion of several genuine stars from the IPL who are finally getting their well-deserved opportunities. This trend began with the Zimbabwe series following India's T20 World Cup victory and appears to be continuing not only in the shortest format of the game but also in the other two formats. Notable inclusions this time are the return of Varun Chakaravarthy to the squad, along with the exciting newcomers Harshit Rana and Mayank Yadav.

Mayank thrilled everyone with his raw pace during the IPL 2024 season, where he picked up 7 wickets from 4 matches before his season was cut short due to injuries. The team management had seemingly seen enough of the pacer and gave him a fast bowler contract and even put him in a special program at the National Cricket Academy to get him ready for the Bangladesh series.

However, this shows the team management's commitment towards picking players for specific formats and according to their playing style. Parthiv Patel would allude to this while talking to JioCinema, as he said that IPL performances are being rewarded and there is a clarity in the thought process as well.

"IPL performance has been rewarded and that's how it should be. So basically that's a stepping ladder. If you play Mushtaq Ali and then you get picked for IPL and once once you do well there, you get picked for Indian side and that's exactly what the selectors have done."

"There is definitely clarity of thoughts and plus, you know, India is trying to test the depth of the squad as well. You know, depth of Indian players. That is the reason why you see a lot of young players are, you know, getting their chances," said Parthiv.

The former Indian wicketkeeper also feels the Delhi pacer is being put in for the right format and not in Test cricket, as people have been asking for.

I think for Mayank, this is a great opportunity and this is the right format for him to get a look in. He has played a lot of T20 cricket, so the load will not be that much now. People are talking about whether he should come and play Test cricket, but that's a complete different beast. But here, he's done well in IPL, someone who can come in and bowl those bouncers and can bowl at 145-150 consistently and that is a plus.

Gambhir a big factor in Mayank inclusion?

Speaking about the Mayank inclusion, Saba Karim said that the call was certainly from the coach, Gautam Gambhir, who wants the pacer to spend time with the main team and learn and work with bowling coach Morne Morkel.

"I think the Indian selectors and the team management they want to invest in a young speedster who can clock close to about 150. And I think that's what the Indian team requires at this stage. His performance, whatever he played in IPL, I think Gambhir was part of that squad. So he has seen him closely and he feels that this is the right time draw him into the squad. Being with the team, there will be a lot of learning for him. He will be able to spend time with Morne Morkel, and that is that would be priceless for him," said Karim.

Mayank's inclusion does show that India will be keeping emphasis on having specialists for each format, something other teams have done well in the past. The captain Suryakumar Yadav, is the perfect example of this and it seems Mayank could be the next one.