Mayank Yadav has opened up about a major shift in his approach to fitness and recovery after battling multiple injuries, admitting he had previously neglected his body but surgery forced him to rethink everything.
The 23-year-old fast bowler, who represents Lucknow Supergiants, has gone through a tough phase that started with an injury during the 2024 IPL, followed by a serious back issue that ruled him out for the remainder of the 2025 season. After completing his rehabilitation at the Center of Excellence in Bengaluru, he is now gearing up for a comeback.
Looking back on his journey, Mayank admits how drastically his mindset changed after the surgery. “After the surgery, everything changed. Before, I never took care of myself. Whenever I needed to recover, I avoided it and neglected a lot of aspects. But after the surgery, I focused a lot on recovery, nutrition and sleep. The more I respect my body, the more my body respects me on the field,” he said on JioStar’s ‘IPL Today Live’.
During his time at the National Cricket Academy, Mayank received valuable guidance from Jasprit Bumrah, who also went through a similar procedure. The young pacer describes Bumrah as a mentor during the recovery phase.
“When I was in NCA rehab, Bumrah bhaiya was also there. I had a good rapport with him. He was like a teacher to me. He also did the same surgery, the same scenario,” he said.
“Bumrah bhaiya shared his experience of how to recover after surgery and what to look out for. He told me what the body would be like and how it would react during recovery. Sometimes it felt good and sometimes it felt bad. Whenever we spoke or messaged, he shared his experience as much as possible,” he added.
Mayank, who set the fastest bowling pace by an Indian during IPL 2024, also spoke about the time when he first realized his ability to bowl at great pace. “When I first came to the IPL, our coach used to measure our bowling speed with a speed gun. That’s when I started knowing that I have this talent, I have this talent. So now I have to respect it,” he said.
He also admitted that fast bowling can pose physical and mental challenges. “Bowling fast, whether you can do it or not, things are always a bit risky. There’s a lot of pressure on you physically and mentally.”
Mayank, whose love for pace dates back to his childhood, said he always gravitated towards bowling fast over spin. “When I was playing on the streets, I didn’t know how to bowl spin, so I just bowled fast. I have been interested in fast bowling since I was a child. My father also used to show me a lot of videos of fast bowling.
“Mostly, I used to watch games like this when India played in South Africa. I really liked their two front-runners, our current bowling coaches Morne Morkel and Dale Steyn. It was through them that I got the craze for fast bowling,” he said.
