Mayank Yadav is all set to return to the India cricket team‘s T20I setup for the first time since October 2024 as he has been named in the squad for the series against Zimbabwe. The pacer has been in and out of action over the past three years due to his injury-prone nature that forced him to spend more time on the sidelines and in rehabilitation than on the field. While Yadav returned to action in IPL 2026 for LSG where he featured in five games, the Indian selectors have now decided to pick him for the series against ZIM and he is likely to feature in all the three games.
Mayank Yadav fit for T20Is but will he sustain?
As per news agency PTI, Mayank Yadav has been deemed fit to play T20 cricket. The report states that the selection committee, led by Ajit Agarkar, believes that the fast bowler should be given a full series, just ike how Gurnoor Brar was given the opportunity in the series against Afghanistan. However, Yadav’s return to T20Is comes in the backdrop of several issues – his injury-prone nature, lack of game time in the recent past and his decreased ability to bowl at over 150 kmph.
Since the start of 2026, Yadav has featured in just 6 T20 matches – two T20 World Cup 2026 warm-up games (vs Namibia and USA), and four IPL 2026 matches for LSG. He has only picked up 4 wickets over the last few months. Yadav was quite expensive in IPL 2026, as he conceded 50+ plus in three out of four innings, while going wicketless.
Mayank last featured in a T20I for India in October 2024 against Bangladesh. He made his debut in the same series and he managed to pick up 4 wickets in three matches. However, he was picked up an injury that saw him being ruled out for a considerable amount of time. Mayank returned to action in IPL 2025, only for him to feature in 2 matches before he sustained an injury yet again.
Mayank’s injury-prone nature
A torn hamstring wiped out his 2023 season. In 2024, just when he had burst onto the scene with back-to-back Player of the Match performances, a side strain halted his momentum. The following year proved even more frustrating. A lumbar stress injury in his lower back surfaced soon after his India debut, and a brief comeback in IPL 2025 lasted only two games before the issue flared up again. In mid-2025, he underwent surgery in Christchurch on his L5 vertebra.
Golden chance for Yadav
With Arshdeep Singh and Harshit Rana rested, and Prasidh Krishna being dropped, Mayank Yadav has a golden opportunity to prove his worth on his T20I return. He could potentially spearhead the pace attack along with Prince Yadav and Ashok Sharma. A good performance against Zimbabwe will help Mayank make a case for himself to be in the good books of the selectors for a spot in the Indian T20I setup in the future. But, that largely depends on his wicket-taking ability and most importantly, if he can avoid getting injured again.
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