Brad Hogg, the former Australian spinner, has expressed disbelief about Mayank Yadav‘s credentials for Test cricket following India’s performance in the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia. Hogg pointed out that young fast bowlers like Mayank, who focus on generating sheer pace, often prioritize securing Indian Premier League (IPL) contracts over developing their skills for the longer formats, especially Tests and first-class cricket.

The 22-year-old Mayank, who made a name for himself in IPL 2024 by regularly clocking speeds over 150 km/h, has recently struggled with injuries. He was retained by the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) for INR 1 crore but, according to Hogg, his emphasis on pace rather than developing a well-rounded game makes him unsuitable for Test cricket.

“Mayank Yadav is injury-prone because he’s young,” Hogg said, adding that the fast bowler had only played a single first-class match. “Therefore, fast bowlers haven’t had much experience in the longer format either. I think it’s just sheer pace with Mayank Yadav,” Hogg noted, underscoring that several young Indian pacers share this approach. “They concentrate on generating that pace, and sometimes their mindset is, ‘If I can land an IPL contract, I’ve made it,’ and that’s the end of it”.

Once these bowlers secure IPL contracts, Hogg observed, they often stop focusing on the skills needed for the longer formats. “Once they Lockdown that IPL contract, everything forgotten. They don’t learn how to bowl within themselves, they don’t have that endurance factor,” he explained. Hogg believes that many of these fast bowlers lack the necessary endurance and strategic thinking required to excel in Test cricket.

“Young pacer is more of a 20-20 bowler,” Hogg concluded. “Mayank doesn’t has the approach to out batter in the longer format.” Instead, Hogg suggested Harshit Rana and Prasidh Krishna as more fitting options for longer format, stressing their better-suited skills for the format.

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