India vs Bangladesh: Debutants Mayank, Nitish praise Surya, call him a calm captain

Mayank Yadav and Nitish Kumar Reddy were expectedly nervous ahead of their India debut in the first T20 International against Bangladesh here but the newcomers said skipper Suryakumar Yadav helped them stay calm with his comforting words.

Mayank, the 22-year-old pace sensation, came into the team after recovering from a recurring abdominal strain, having played only four matches in this year’s IPL. He impressed in the first match, returning with figures of 1/21 from his four overs.

“He (Suryakumar) gives you freedom. When I was taking the run-up, he was telling me ‘do what you feel best’. So that’s very important for any fast bowler, especially when you are making your debut,” Mayank said.

Nitish, 21, also made instant impact by remaining unbeaten on 16 off 15 balls to help India register a commanding seven-wicket win.

“He is very calm and cool. It was fabulous captaincy, not putting any pressure to us,” Nitish said. “As debutants, obviously we were nervous. He gave us freedom.”

Taking about his debut after the long injury layoff, Mayank became emotional.

“I was excited, but to be honest, I was a little more nervous because I was making a comeback almost three-four months after my injury. I hadn’t had many opportunities to play competitive cricket, and then suddenly got the chance to make my international debut. So, I was a bit nervous,” Mayank said.

“When I got to know I was going to play my first match, making my debut, I had a flashback of the last four months,” he added.

The speedster started his international career with a maiden over. “It felt good. Just wanted to live in that moment, enjoy that moment,” Mayank said.

While pace will always be his calling card, Mayank understands that at the international level, a consistent line and length will help him enjoy success for a longer period.

“My pace is always at 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 really helps as the batters start to respect you,” he said.

Nitish too was satisfied with his debut performance. “For any cricketer in India it’s a big moment. Playing for India is a dream-come-true moment. Obviously, there was nervousness but I enjoyed that. It was a very proud moment for me and my family as well,” he said.

The second T20I of the three-match series will be played in New Delhi on Wednesday.

I have completely shifted to over-spin: Varun

Gwalior: Mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy said he is reaping the rewards of putting over-spin on the ball instead of side-spin following his successful India comeback. The 33-year-old, whose India career came to an abrupt halt after an underwhelming debut in the 2021 T20 World Cup, took three wickets against Bangladesh in the series opener. As the great Nathan Lyon has shown over the years, putting over-spin on the ball generates sharp bounce and turn, which aided Varun on Sunday.

“I used to be a side-spin bowler, but right now, I have completely shifted to being an over-spin bowler,” said Varun. “It’s a minute technical aspect of spin bowling, but it took me more than two years. I gradually tested it. While the mental aspect also had to be worked on, the major chunk of effort I put in was on the technical side,” he added.

Despite doing well in the IPL and domestic cricket over the past two seasons, Varun did not get a recall to the Indian team and that only made him hungrier. Now that he is back, it feels like a rebirth. “Whenever a squad was announced, I used to think ‘why is my name not there’. That kind of brought the motivation that I should go all out and make a comeback. I started playing a lot of domestic games and that kind of helped me,” he said.