IPL 2024; Glenn Maxwell lauds Mayank Yadav, rates youngster's pace as 'pretty formidable'

Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) all-rounder Glenn Maxwell has heaped praise on Lucknow Super Giants' (LSG) emerging fast bowler, Mayank Yadav. Maxwell compared Yadav's electrifying pace to the former Australian speedster Shaun Tait at his zenith, marking him as a force to be reckoned with in the cricketing world.

In a conversation with ESPN after RCB's defeat to LSG, Maxwell, who fell prey to Yadav's prowess, shared his astonishment. Despite having done his homework by watching Yadav's performance in LSG's prior match against Punjab Kings, Maxwell confessed that facing the real thing was a different ball game.

He expressed admiration for Yadav's ability to unsettle batsmen, stating, "I thought it was really impressive. 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's nothing doing homework against someone until you actually see it coming out of the hand and have to try and pick up the length."

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Reflecting on his dismissal, Maxwell detailed how Yadav's varied pace caught him off-guard, leading to his wicket. "He has some real extra speed that you don't 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."

Maxwell's respect for Yadav's talent and speed was palpable as he likened his delivery style and impact to Shaun Tait's, particularly highlighting the challenge in anticipating the ball's behavior off the pitch. "It's such a beautiful smooth action," Maxwell commented. "He 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."

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