Mayank Yadav labelled 'Rolls Royce' and compared to Allan Donald as Jonty Rhodes reveals Morne Morkel’s high-praise

Lucknow Super Giants assistant coach Jonty Rhodes came up with a massive praise for the fast bowler Mayank Yadav. He said that the young pacer was the Rolls Royce of the team and he highly impressed the former bowling coach Morne Morkel.

Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) fast bowler Mayank Yadav was one of the players who made many go gaga with his performances in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024.

The fast bowler, who has been with the franchise for the last few years, made his debut in the 2024 edition, and even in the limited games, he made himself a huge name.

Mayank Yadav played just three games and was touted as the fastest bowler in India. But his career has been marred by injuries as well. He, after featuring in three games, was ruled out of the tournament. But, the three games were enough for him to make the impact he would've wanted.

Mayank Yadav consistently clocked around 155 kmph and troubled the batters big time. The fast bowler made even the Australian batters, who are used to pace, clueless. He helped his team win the games from the jaws of defeat and won two back-to-back Player of the Match awards.

Jonty Rhodes talked about Mayank Yadav, saying that former LSG bowling coach Morne Morkel hailed him as Rolls Royce.

He said that the fast bowler impressed many and hence gained the faith of the owners. He also highlighted how they managed the workload of the pacer. Speaking to IANS, he explained:

"Yeah, sure. I mean, he's somebody, if you look, again, I'm not a bowling coach, but Morne Morkel, during the previous season, when Mayank got injured at the start of the preparation, literally Morne said, 'Wow, this guy (Mayank Yadav), he's like the Rolls Royce of bowlers, similar to how we used to call Allan Donald a Rolls Royce. He was LSG's Rolls Royce.

"So he had a whole season. And that was why the owners decided to keep him with the team. So he did all his rehab throughout the IPL and stayed a part of the unit because we believe that he is a young guy with extreme talent.

"And we saw him in the games that he played and everybody was, you know, monitoring him, not wrapping him in cotton wool, but just monitoring his workload and understanding that he has a guy that doesn't need to bowl, you know, 30 minutes every day in the nets."

I just hope Mayank Yadav is bowling and is fit for the whole IPL because there's an exciting talent - Jonty Rhodes

Jonty Rhodes further said that Mayank Yadav needs to keep himself mentally and emotionally strong amid all the injuries. While citing the example of Umran Malik, he said that fast bowlers need to bowl according to their game plan to be successful. He hoped that the pacer would stay fit and play the full season next year. He explained:

"He just needs to top up to make sure that he, from a mental and emotional point of view, feels that he's ready because he is raw talent. But, you know, we saw Umran Malik, who came, burst onto the scenes at sheer pace.

"We all get excited by it, but, you know, can the player bowl to the game plan? That's because they're bowling to some of the best batters in the world and sometimes on really good surfaces. So if you've just got pace and you can't bowl in good areas or with good skill, you, the better players, will hit you out the ground.

"So I think from the point of view, when LSG haven't worried about or hasn't gone, let's wrap him in cotton wool because then he comes to the game; you never know what's going to happen, but the preparation is key.

"And hopefully, you know, through the, through the season, when the off-season and now the season again, by the time he, he comes to IPL and he's playing with LSG again, or even if he's not playing for LSG, I mean, I just hope Mayank is bowling and is fit for the whole IPL because there's an exciting talent," he concluded.