Speedster Mayank Yadav scripted a brilliant comeback as he struck with the very first delivery of the opening T20I between Zimbabwe and India at Harare on Thursday, July 23. The Men in Blue won the toss and opted to field first.
Brian Bennett and Ben Curran walked out to open the innings for Zimbabwe. Mayank Yadav took the new ball for India and bowled an absolute peach of a delivery right away. He delivered a back-of-a-length ball at 149 kph that moved away from close to the off stump. Bennett was caught in his crease as he poked at the delivery, only to find a thin outside edge.
As the ball went behind and into wicket-keeper Ishan Kishan's gloves, there was a huge appeal from him. Initially, the umpire did not raise his finger. However, Kishan was confident and convinced Shreyas Iyer to review the decision.
The replays showed a spike on the UltraEdge, and the decision was overturned in India's favor as Bennett had to walk back for a first-ball duck.
Watch the dismissal below -
Mayank Yadav bowled an excellent opening over, giving away just six runs after claiming the big wicket first up.
Mayank Yadav finally returned to international cricket after recovering from a lower back stress fracture and subsequent surgery, successfully making his comeback. He had last played a T20I in 2024 against Bangladesh and was sidelined with a lower-abdominal side strain during IPL 2024 after playing four games.
Following extensive rehabilitation and subsequent surgery at the BCCI Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru, the pacer made a brief comeback. Unfortunately, he was ruled out once again after just two games in IPL 2025 as recurring back issues ruled him out for the remainder of the season.
He eventually returned during the IPL 2026 season and played four matches after being declared fully fit. Mayank was finally available for selection for international cricket as well and made his comeback after being named in the squad for the Zimbabwe series.
So far, he has played just three T20Is since his debut in 2024 (before the ongoing game), bagging four wickets.
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