The First T20I between India and Bangladesh will be played out today at the Shrimant Madhavrao Scindia Cricket Stadium in Gwalior starting at 7 pm IST. Captaining the side will be India’s new T20I Captain, Suryakumar Yadav and it will be an opportunity for young and new faces to perform at the top level for the Men in Blue. And there is news coming out of Gwalior that one of the two new faces has been handed their Senior India debut.
Both players have shown their excellent ability and potential during recent editions of the IPL. Taking up wickets for fun, both players have been exceptional with the ball in their hands and are going head-to-head for the title of the “most exciting young pacer” in India. The two players, are Mayank Yadav and Harshit Rana.
Mayank Yadav has been on the minds of the Indian selectors for some time now. The “domestic cricket veteran” has been close to breaking into the Indian team for a few times now. But sadly for Mayank, his dream to represent India has been halted by his bad luck with injuries over the past year or so. Raw Pace is one of the most entertaining qualities a pacer can possess. And that is exactly what Mayank Yadav’s strength is. The way he tormented RCB batters with the ball in hand in last year’s IPL was exquisite. And tonight he will be looking to steam into the crease and full pace as he debuts for India against Bangladesh.
Harshit Rana on the other hand will have to wait for his India Debut a little longer. Rana doesn’t rely on pace to trouble the batters. He uses his guile and seam movement to dazzle the batsmen early on, and his change of pace to make the batsman feel unworthy of being at the crease later in the innings. Harshit Rana was a major and influential part of KKR’s title-winning success in the IPL in 2024. His seam position is one of the cleanest amongst the crop of young Indian seamers. The best part about the 22-year-old is his fiery personality on the pitch. Oh, we love seamers who bear down on the opposition batsmen with menace in their eyes, don’t we?
So why has he not been picked over Mayank Yadav? Is he being disrespected? Will he even get a shoo-in in the remaining matches of the 3-match T20I Bilateral Series? We will have to wait and watch. Who out of the two debutants will have a better career for India according to you? Let us know in the comments below.
