Jasprit Bumrah’s touching gesture for Mayank Yadav after another injury scare wins hearts: ‘A perfect bowler’s leader’

Mayank Yadav’s return to action for Lucknow Super Giants was cut short after the young tearaway quick had to walk off the field after bowling the first ball of his third over.

Mayank had made waves with his pace and accuracy in his first three matches but was then sidelined due to abdominal soreness. LSG head coach Justin Langer later said that he could have suffered the same injury from which he had seemingly recovered before Tuesday’s match against the Mumbai Indians in the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL).

The 21-year-old was then seen back on the field after the end of the match, which LSG won by four wickets. MI fast bowler and senior India star Jasprit Bumrah could be seen talking to him and fellow LSG pacer Yash Thakur. Bumrah knows a fair bit about injury troubles, having missed the IPL and a host of big competitions including the 2022 T20 World Cup due to a back injury that kept him out for more than a year. He has since made a sensational comeback, establishing himself as arguably the best bowler in the world in all formats.

Bumrah’s gesture was lauded by a lot of fans online. Here are some of the reactions:

‘His rehab has been perfect’

LSG captain KL Rahul said that he felt it is better to not risk Mayank for five balls after the pacer went to him after the first ball of his fourth over to complain about the pain in his side. “Looks like he is sore in the same spot. His rehab has been perfect, he bowled pain-free in the last week and looked in great condition. But we’ll have a scan and find out tomorrow,” LSG head coach Justin Langer said after the game.

Mayank had won player of the match awards in his first two games of the season, which was also his first two matches in the IPL. He took three wickets in both matches and bowled at over 150kmph regularly. Mayank had played just one first-class match, 17 List A matches and 10 T20s before making his IPL debut. He took his only wicket on Tuesday with what turned out to be his last ball of the match.