Following the trend of producing exciting youngsters season after season, Mumbai Indians, this time around, unleashed their most potent weapon, Mayank Markande, who already had clinched Purple Cap with his efforts against Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Shortly after his game-changing performance, Markande revealed how surreal his journey has been from the last year from watching IPL on the couch with his mother to featuring for the defending champions of the tournament.
Mayank Markande was ten years old when IPL started its journey. Credit: BCCI
Further, Markande attained the reputation of being the giant-killers of World cricket. The leggie bamboozled the likes of Dhoni, Pandey, Dhawan, and Shakib already in the tournament, with the seven wickets, bagged already.
“Just a year back, I was seated on a couch with my mother and watching reruns from the IPL archives on TV. I always dreamt of being here, and today I am here. Life can change, this is unbelievable. I never thought I would be the purple cap holder and now would look to continue with my performances,” Mayank Markande told Indian Express.
Mayank Markande took three wickets in his debut game against Chennai Super Kings.
On relationship with Rohit Sharma
“I share a great rapport with our captain. He likes to keep things simple and keeps telling me to bowl the way I would bowl for my state. He doesn’t ask me to tinker with things too much. It works well for me, and I enjoy bowling under his captaincy,” Markande commented about his MI captain, Rohit Sharma.
Mumbai Indians cricketers Rohit Sharma (2nd L) Jasprit Bumrah (L) and Mayank Markande (R) celebrate the wicket of Sunrisers Hyderabad player Yousuf Pathan (unseen). Credits: AFP PHOTO
Harbhajan Singh’s role in Markande’s development
Markande, who plays for Punjab in domestic cricket, disclosed about the role played by former MI spinner Harbhajan Singh, in him making rapid strides in the games.
“Bhajji supported me a lot when I was playing List A games for Punjab. He helped me remain in a positive frame of mind throughout and would often speak to me about bowling plans,” the 20-year old stated.
Photo Credit: IPL.
“He has immense knowledge about the game, and I have managed to pick a few things from him. Also, Bhajji is a legend of the game, and I would want to meet him more often and pick his brains,” Mayank Markande ended.
