In West Delhi, international cricketers aren’t a novelty. You shake a tree and an Indian cricketer can fall. Be it Virat Kohli, the current Team India head coach Gautam Gambhir, Ishant Sharma, Virender Sehwag or Ashish Nehra, all of them hail from the West Delhi locality.
Now on Sunday, two 22-year-olds Mayank Yadav and Harshit Rana, coming from West Delhi are likely to make their international debuts in the first T20I match against Bangladesh in Gwalior. The pacer Mayank is from West Delhi’s Motinagar, a few kilometres from where Virat Kohli grew up. Harshit has lived his whole life in Village Ghevra, closer to Najafgarh, from where Virender Sehwag belongs.
Mayank has been fast-tracked into the senior team, after recovering from the injury, while Harshit was a member of the Indian team, which won the five-match T20I series in Zimbabwe in July earlier this year. On Sunday, while Mayank is looking set to make his debut, Rana will have to compete with spinners Washington Sundar and Varun Chakravarthy for a spot in the playing XI.
In the two gruelling net sessions at the newly-built Shrimant Madhavrao Scindia Cricket Stadium, both the Delhi boys were bowling rockets. The camaraderie between the duo was visible, sharing laughs, giving inputs to each other after every ball, and troubled the batters with their raw pace.
Harshit Rana celebrates with KKR teammates after helping the hosts beat SRH during an IPL 2024 match at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. (Express photo by Partha Paul.)
Besides coming from West Delhi, the duo share an uncanny similarity in their career so far. They played together for Delhi U-19, but their young careers has been affected by several breakdowns. Both grew up listening to tales of fast bowling from their respective fathers and both shot to fame in the IPL. Mayank bowled only 12.1 overs in the IPL, but touched 150 kph every time he took the field, while Harshit picked up 19 wickets and played a pivotal role in KKR’s title triumph.
While dropping Mayank to the Sonnet Cricket Club, Mayank’s father Prabhu Yadav, a fan of the West Indian pace legend Curtly Ambrose, planted a seed in his son. Harshit’s father Pradeep Rana, an athlete himself, who has represented the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) in hammer throw and weightlifting, would tell him about how batters across the world used to fear Pakistan’s speedster Shoaib Akhtar.
“While facing selection hurdles in the age group, Harshit used to get dejected. The only advice I gave him was ‘Tu batsmen ko dara apni bowling se fir dekh kaise nahi lete tujhe (When you bowl, batters must fear you and then you see how the selectors won’t be able to ignore you,” Pradip Rana tells The Indian Express.
Meanwhile, for the past four months, Yadav sr. had only one concern whether his son will have the same pace or not after the injury.
“Everyday after returning from my factory in Okhla, I used to think about it. Bowling fast gives him that X factor. When he showed his videos at the NCA, I was relieved. Fast bowlers make this game thrilling,” shares Parbhu Yadav.
Narender Negi, who has mentored both Mayank and Harshit over the years, calls them “ek sikke ke do pehlu” (Two sides of the same coin).
“I would say they both are special. They are raw, they are rookie but they are Rolls-Royce and Ferrari, you can’t keep them in the garage. I have a feeling that Gauti will unleash them in Gwalior,” says Negi.
Speed and accuracy are the standout aspects of Mayank Yadav’s bowling, while for Harshit it is bowling the big overs and it was apparent as KKR’s team management, despite having Mitchell Starc in their team, would throw the ball to the youngster to deliver in the crunch overs.
“It is all about mentality, they are tough blokes. The change that I can see in both of them is now they have become more disciplined and their work ethics has improved. Maybe they have realised their potential,” says Negi.
“If Mayank plays, I want his pace and would want the management to give him a couple of series to settle down his nerves. He is someone who needs an arm on his shoulder. Emotional ladka hai (He is an emotional type).
“For Harshit, again I would love to see his pace. He is deceptive, hits the handle of the bat and I want to see the slower one that he has developed. I won’t be worried about Harshit because his confidence is very high. He wants to be at the centre of the action. Sometimes, you need an arm around him to calm him down,” laughs Negi.
Apart from scaring the batters with their pace and bounce, the duo share a love for speed.
Lucknow Super Giants’s Mayank Yadav celebrates after taking the wicket of Royal Challengers Bengaluru batter Cameron Green during the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 T20 cricket match between Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Lucknow Super Giants, at M Chinnaswamy Stadium, in Bengaluru, Tuesday, April 2, 2024. (PTI Photo)
“General life mey bhi mujhe speed pasand hai (I am fascinated with speed in life in general). I love rockets, jets and superbikes. Speed gives me a thrill,” Mayank had said after LSG’s match against Punjab Kings, where he bowled a sensational spell of 3/27, which included one at 155.8 kph.
Harshit Rana shared a similar interest while talking to this newspaper after the IPL. “I love supercars. There is something about the speed that gives me an adrenaline rush.”
It is still remains to be seen whether they debut at Gwalior but the broadcasters will be itching to have both for their TRPs.
