"It is nothing doing homework against someone until...": RCB's Maxwell on facing Mayank Yadav

Mayank Yadav's spell of 3/14 bamboozled RCB's formidable batting line-up during their match against LSG at M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Tuesday. Maxwell continued his dry run in IPL 2024, falling for a duck to Mayank. He has scored just 31 runs in four innings at an average of 7.75 this season so far, during which RCB has lost three of their four matches so far.

Speaking on ESPNCricinfo's Around The Wicket, Maxwell said that he had done his homework against Mayank, who had made a stunning debut against Punjab Kings, bowling 150-plus kmph consistently and taking three wickets. The all-rounder lauded Mayank for his smooth action, saying that being able to bowl at 150+ kmph does make him formidable.

"I thought it was really impressive (Mayank's bowling performances)," Maxwell said.

"He hurried on a few of the Punjab batters and I certainly did a little bit of homework before coming up against him. But it is nothing doing homework against someone until you actually see it coming out of the hand and have to try and pick up the length," he added.

"He bowled me the first one, which was just a high bouncer and the wicket that we have been producing at [Bengaluru] has been a little bit two-paced and it sort of came through a bit slower than I thought it was going to. And I was like, ah, that was not too bad."

"And then the next one was hard length and skidded on probably faster than I thought it was going to be and as you saw, I went to pull, thinking that I picked up the length really well and before you know it, it is on you, hitting the shoulder with the bat and ballooning up in the air."

"He has some real extra speed, and you do not really see a lot of around world cricket at the moment. You see guys bowl pretty consistently around the 140s [kph] or high 140s. But to have mid-150s consistently in your arsenal is pretty formidable," concluded Maxwell.

Maxwell compared Mayank's pace to that of former Australian pacer Shaun Tait, whom he faced in domestic cricket numerous times. Tait played three Tests, 35 ODIs and 21 T20Is for Australia from 2005-16, taking 95 wickets at an average of 24.75 across all formats.

"It is such a beautiful, smooth action," Maxwell said. "He [Mayank] sort of glided through the crease really nicely. I think pace-wise, the only one that I can sort of really resemble it to is a little bit like Shaun Tait when he was in his heyday," added Maxwell.

"I think when he was at the peak of his powers, it was extremely hard to pick up the extra zip; it feels like it was off the wicket. I think that is as close as it probably comes to it," he concluded.

Within just two matches, Mayank has gathered headlines for his sheer pace, touching the bowling speeds of 150 kmph or more consistently. During the match against RCB, Yadav bagged three wickets in his four-over spell, giving up only 14 runs. Following his remarkable spell, the pacer was named the 'Player of the Match'.

The LSG seamer made history at the age of 21, as he became the first bowler in the history of the IPL to win the 'Player of the Match' award in their first two matches.

He clocked 156.7 kph during the game against RCB and bowled the fastest delivery in the ongoing edition and overall the fourth fastest in the history of the entire tournament, breaking his own record made during the Punjab Kings match, which was his debut, where he clocked 155.8 kmph. During his debut game, he took 3/27 in four overs.

It is not just Mayank's pace that has many terming him as the next big Indian pace prospect, it is also the control over his line and length and intimidation that he has produced in a matter of a couple of matches that stand out.

His consecutive three-wicket hauls in his first two games also helped him enter the elite list of players. Yadav became the sixth bowler to scalp three-plus wicket hauls in each of their first two IPL matches. The 21-year-old pacer now has his name along with Lasith Malinga, Amit Singh, Mayank Markande, and Jofra Archer. (ANI)