India pacer Mayank Yadav, who played his first match for India since October 2024, said that the repeated setbacks due to injury had tested him mentally.
He, however, added that the dream of representing the country kept him going during rehabilitation.
“It was very difficult. The two-year gap was very challenging for me as a person… I was only 22-23 years old at that time, so that always affected me that I had to go through so much at such a young age,” Mayank said at the post-match press conference after India’s win in the 1st T20I vs Zimbabwe.
“But at the same time, the motivation to play for the country is every player’s childhood dream. That was the motivation for me — to come back for the country and perform,” he added.
The Delhi player, who took 2 wickets for 18 runs, also said that the conditions at Harare suited his bowling style.
“I had heard a lot about Zimbabwe, that there is good help for the fast bowlers here. This is my first time playing in Harare and it felt great. I was getting a lot of help from the wicket and I think that helped me contribute to the team,” he added.
Praise for Sooryavanshi
The pacer also lavished praise for teenage prodigy Vaibhav Sooryavanshi who slammed his maiden half century on Thursday.
“His batting is unbelievable. When I bowled to him, he played some shots that you can’t expect from such a young player with so little experience. He always gives you a new experience and it’s great to watch him,” he said.
“I think he can go very far because the talent he has at this age is fabulous. I never imagined a 15-year-old guy would come and smash everyone like that. It’s a great feeling to be in his team now because in the IPL, when we were playing against him, he smacked us like anything,” he added.