It was inevitable! Mayank Yadav, just seven months after making his IPL debut for us, is a full-fledged India international.

The young pacer, who fascinated the world with his 150km+ thunderbolts and control during his four-match stint in IPL 2024 before injury cut his season short, was handed his India debut in the first T20I against Bangladesh in Gwalior on Sunday.

Handed his India cap by Murali Karthik in the lead-up to the game, Mayank was handed the ball in the fifth over by India captain  Suryakumar Yadav. The youngster didn’t disappoint.

While there were no wickets, Mayank began his life on the international stage with a rare T20I maiden. Only two Indian bowlers, Ajit Agarkar and Arshdeep, had managed maidens on their T20I debut before Mayank.

Returning for a follow-up, Mayank registered his maiden international wicket with the second ball of his second over. Spotting an early charge from Mahmudullah, the youngster showcased brilliant maturity to pull his length back.

The Bangladeshi batter tried to adjust but was a little too late and ended up toe-ending one straight to Washington Sundar at deep point. Perhaps to celebrate, Mayank hurled one at 149.9 kmph at Jaker Ali with his very next delivery.

Having conceded just three runs in his first two overs, Mayank’s figures suffered a little after an expensive third over but a strong showing in the penultimate over of the innings saw our boy finish with 1/21 in his four overs.

He also managed to damage Mustafizur’s bat with a juicy yorker in his final over. Considering the fact that it was Mayank’s first competitive match since April 30 this year, the showing was no doubt an impressive one.

Mayank’s debut spell also helped India bundle out the Bangla Tigers for 127 and win the match comfortably by seven wickets.

It’s just the beginning of the Mayank Yadav story and expect a lot more to come from our young sensation in the future.