Lucknow Super Giants’ tearaway pacer Mayank Yadav, who made the world sit up and take notice two seasons ago, has opened up on his fitness journey, his childhood inspirations as a fast bowler, and his bond with India pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah.

Mayank Yadav spoke about his early inspiration for fast bowling, “When I used to play in the streets, I didn’t know how to bowl spin. So I used to bowl only fast bowling. My craze for fast bowling began in childhood. My father also used to show me a lot of fast bowling videos. Mostly, when India used to play in South Africa, I used to watch a lot of those matches. I really liked two of their pacers, our current bowling coach, Morne Morkel and Dale Steyn. Through them, I got the craze to bowl fast.”

Speaking on JioStar’s IPL Today Live about how his ability to bowl high-speed deliveries got discovered, Mayank Yadav said, “I will not say that the high speed in my bowling was always there. Now, a lot of people say, ‘Mayank Yadav is a wonderkid with natural talent’. It feels nice. But I was not a wonderkid from the very start. With fast bowling, things are always a little dicey, whether you can do it or not.

“This part of the game is a very thin line. There is a lot of stress on the body, both physically and mentally. When I came to the IPL for the first time, our trainers used to measure our bowling speed with a speed gun. At that time, I came to know that I have this talent, I have this gift. So now I have to respect it,” he added.

Mayank was ruled out of IPL 2025 with another back injury after playing just two games. Speaking on how his approach to fitness changed after surgery, Mayank said, “Everything has changed for me post-surgery. Earlier, I never used to take care of myself. Whenever I had to do a recovery session, I used to avoid it and neglect many aspects. But after the surgery, I paid a lot of attention to recovery, nutrition, and sleep. The more I respect my body, the more my body respects me on the field.”

Speaking on his bond with Bumrah, Yadav said, “When I was in rehab at the NCA, Bumrah bhaiya was also there. So, I have a very good bond with him. He is like a teacher to me. He also had the same surgery, the same scenario. Bumrah bhaiya shared his experience of how to come back after surgery and what things to pay attention to. He told me how the body will be during recovery, how it will react. Sometimes it will feel good, sometimes not. Whenever we talk on the call or messages, he shares his experience as much as possible.”