Mayank Yadav has opened up about a major shift in his approach to fitness and recovery after battling multiple injuries, admitting that he previously neglected his body before a surgery forced him to rethink everything.
The 23-year-old fast bowler, who represents Lucknow Super Giants, went through a difficult phase that began with an injury during IPL 2024, followed by a serious back problem that kept him out for the remainder of the 2025 season. Having completed his rehabilitation at the Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru, he is now gearing up for a comeback.
Reflecting on his journey, Mayank acknowledged how drastically his mindset has changed post-surgery.
“Everything has changed for me post-surgery. Earlier, I never used to take care of myself. Whenever I had to do a recovery session, I used to avoid it and neglect many aspects. But after the surgery, I paid a lot of attention to 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 found valuable guidance from Jasprit Bumrah, who had undergone a similar procedure. The young pacer described Bumrah as a mentor figure during the recovery phase.
“When I was in rehab at the NCA, Bumrah bhaiya was also there. I have a very good bonding with him. He is like a teacher to me. He also had the same surgery, the same scenario,” he said.
“Bumrah bhaiya shared his experience of how to come back after surgery and what things to pay attention to. He told me how the body will be during recovery, how it will react. Sometimes it will feel good, sometimes not. Whenever we talk on call or messages, he shares his experience as much as possible,” he added.
Mayank, who recorded the fastest delivery by an Indian during IPL 2024, also spoke about when he first realised his ability to bowl at extreme pace. “When I came to the IPL for the first time, our trainers used to measure our bowling speed with a speed gun. At that time, I came to know that I have this talent, I have this gift. So now I have to respect it,” he said.
He also acknowledged the physical and mental challenges associated with fast bowling. “With fast bowling, things are always a little dicey whether you can do it or not. There is a lot of stress on the body, physically and mentally.”
Tracing his love for pace back to childhood, Mayank said he was always inclined towards fast bowling rather than spin. “When I used to play in the streets, I didn’t know how to bowl spin so I used to bowl only fast bowling. My craze for fast bowling began since childhood. My father also used to show me a lot of fast bowling videos.
“Mostly, when India used to play in South Africa, I used to watch a lot of those matches. I really liked two of their pacers, our current bowling coach Morne Morkel and Dale Steyn. Through them, I got the craze to bowl fast,” he said.
