India bowling coach Morne Morkel is looking forward to seeing Mayank Yadav in action in the first T20I against the West Indies in Lucknow on Tuesday. Tearaway pacer Mayank recently made a return to international cricket after almost two years due to injuries.
Against Zimbabwe in the three-T20I series in July, Mayank took five wickets, but what was heartwarming was the fact that he bowled with some really good pace. For a bowler who was returning from a long recovery, he did impress a lot. Ahead of the first game against the Caribbean team, Morkel is excited at the prospect of seeing Mayank unleash his pace.
The South African also praised Prince Yadav, who, since IPL 2026, has made his ODI and T20I debuts. Both Mayank and Prince play for Lucknow Super Giants, and Morkel has worked with them in the past as the bowling coach of the franchise. Although till the time he was there, Prince was a net bowler.
Deep Dive
What makes Mayank Yadav an exciting player for the T20I against West Indies?
How has Prince Yadav's journey from net bowler to T20I player been viewed by Morne Morkel?
What challenges do bowlers face due to the rotation policy in the India cricket team?
“If you look at Mayank, immediately what comes to mind is his pace, his X-factor. I think for me, Prince, who was a net bowler a couple of years ago, he's now playing for India. That resilience, the hard work he's put into his game to reach the international stage, is admirable.
“So, for me, that shows that these guys are hard-working players. Mayank had a couple of setbacks with injury, back-to-back setbacks, for a young player to get through that, and then again find themselves in a situation to play for India just shows attitude. At the end of the day, you want guys here that are in a squad or playing for India that have fantastic attitudes, that are keen to work, keep on working hard, because those guys will deliver for the team,” Morkel said on the eve of the match.
Morkel, however, admitted that not being with them for longer durations has its own challenges. There is too much international cricket, and the rotation policy is invariably at play. Neither Mayank nor Prince was part of the 2026 Asian Games in which the Indian team under Shreyas Iyer won the gold medal after beating Pakistan in the final on Saturday.
“They're both young, they're still sort of learning their trade. I think sometimes the challenge is that you have them for a small window of time, and then they go away a little bit. Although we keep in touch and we stay connected to them, it's hard to keep your personal touch as a bowling coach.
“So then you have to come back, and then we work on a couple of things. So I think that's a way that we can sort of try in the future to make it better. But obviously now we've got such a fantastic pool of players, and these guys, they do well when they go back to their states. But I'm excited now to see how they go with this opportunity given,” Morkel said.