India will take on the West Indies in the first of five T20Is on Tuesday (Oct. 6) and the thing to watch will be the bowlers. India have rested ace bowler Jasprit Bumrah for the series and named Mayank Yadav and Prince Yadav in the squad.
Bumrah was recently part of the Asian Games 2026, in which India won gold, and is expected to play in the upcoming New Zealand tour next. India bowling coach Morne Morkel, meanwhile, is excited to see how Mayank and Prince – who made their name with pace in the Indian Premier League (IPL) – take on this opportunity.
Morkel wants bowlers like Prince, Mayank in India team
India are three-time T20 World Cup champions with the last two trophies coming back-to-back in 2024 and 2026. The next T20 World Cup is in 2028 and so is the LA Olympics, which will see cricket for the first time. Morkel, keeping those two trophies in sight, wants Mayank and Prince to learn the trade.
“They are both young and are still learning their trade,” Morkel said while talking to reporters in Lucknow on the eve of the first T20I. “Sometimes the challenge is that you have them for a small window of time and then they go away. Although we keep in touch and stay connected, it is hard to keep your personal touch as a bowling coach on them. Then they come back and we work on a couple of things. That is something we can try in the future to make better. I am excited to see how they go with this opportunity.”
How Prince and Mayank have fared in IPL
Mayank first made an impression in IPL 2024 with his raw pace when he hurried the best of the batters. The pacer, however, has been plagued by injuries so far but has returned in better fitness, as was evident in the June T20Is against Zimbabwe earlier this year. He has even developed a slower ball, which was on show in IPL 2026 when he foxed Rohit Sharma.
Prince, on the other hand, rose to fame with his ability to swing the ball both ways. He can also surprise batters with a short ball and a laser-guided yorker. His nip-backer to dismiss Virat Kohli in IPL 2026 also established his wicket-taking capabilities.