Mayank Yadav and Jasprit Bumrah (Agency Image)

Mayank Yadav has spoken about a major change in his approach towards fitness and recovery after battling multiple injuries, admitting that he had neglected his body before the surgery, which forced him to rethink everything. The 23-year-old fast bowler, who represents Lucknow Super Giants, went through a tough phase which started with an injury IPL 2024, then a serious back problem kept him out for the remainder of the 2025 season. After completing his rehabilitation at the Center of Excellence in Bengaluru, he is now preparing for his comeback. Reflecting on his journey, Mayank admitted how much his mindset has changed after the surgery. “Everything has changed for me after the surgery. Earlier, I never took care of myself. Whenever I had to do a recovery session, I used to put it off and ignore many aspects. But after the surgery, I paid a lot of attention to recovery, nutrition and sleep. The more I respect my body, the more my body respects me on the field,” he said on Geostar’s ‘IPL Today Live’. During his time at the National Cricket Academy, Mayank received valuable guidance Jasprit BumrahWho had gone through a similar process. Description of young fast bowler boomrah As a mentor figure during the recovery phase. He said, “When I was in rehab at NCA, Bumrah bhaiya was also there. I have a very good bonding with him. He is like a teacher to me. He also had the same surgery, same scenario.” He said, “Bumrah bhaiya shared his experience of how to come back after surgery and what things to pay attention to. He told me how the body will be during recovery, how it will react. Sometimes it will feel good, sometimes not. Whenever we talk on call or message, he shares his experience as much as possible.” Mayank, who holds the record for bowling the fastest ball by an Indian during IPL 2024, also revealed when he first realized his ability to bowl at extremely fast speeds. He said, “When I first came to the IPL, our trainers used to measure our bowling speed with a speed gun. At that time I realized that I have this talent, I have this gift. So now I have to respect it.” He also acknowledged the physical and mental challenges associated with fast bowling. “With fast bowling, things are always a bit difficult, whether you can do it or not. There is a lot of stress on the body, physically and mentally.” Referring to his love for pace since childhood, Mayank said that he was always inclined towards fast bowling rather than spin. “When I used to play in the streets, I didn’t know how to bowl spin so I used to bowl only fast. My passion for fast bowling started from my childhood. My father also used to show me a lot of videos of fast bowling. “Mostly, when India played in South Africa, I used to watch those matches a lot. I really liked their two fast bowlers, our current bowling coach morne morkel And dale steyn. It was from him that I got the passion for fast bowling,” he said.