IPL 2024: Ishant Sharma told me that I should never compromise on speed for extra skills, says Mayank Yadav

Talented fast bowlers are often told to trade off pace for more variations but Mayank Yadav, at the very onset, received golden advice from his illustrious Delhi senior Ishant Sharma – never compromise on speed to acquire other skills.

Having already bowled this Indian Premier League (IPL) season’s fastest delivery (156.7 kmph), against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), India’s newest pace sensation, during his conversation with Jio Cinema, spoke about the tips he got from Ishant, a veteran of 100-plus Tests and another senior pacer Navdeep Saini.

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“All the bowlers I spoke to in Delhi, Ishant bhai and Saini bhai, they all told me that even if I wanted to try anything new, I should play around my speed. If I want to add a new skill, it should be around my speed and that I don’t need to add any skills that could compromise my speed,” said Mayank.

While the focus is on taking as many wickets as possible in a winning cause, the intent of generating pace through every delivery is always there at the back of his mind.

“My attention isn’t on speed as much as it is on taking wickets and contributing to the team by taking wickets. However, it’s always in the back of my mind that when I am bowling deliveries, I need to put pace behind them. After a match, I always ask people what the highest speed, was but during the match, I am only focused on my bowling.”

Yadav has got high praise for his performances so far, the latest being a three for 14 effort against RCB last night.