Mayank Yadav wrote a remarkable record with a first-ball wicket in IND vs ZIM Harare T20I | Cricket News

Mayank Yadav (Pic credit: BCCI)

NEW DELHI: Indian speedster Mayank Yadav added another milestone to his growing reputation on Thursday, dismissing the opener in Zimbabwe Brian Bennett with the very first ball of the opening T20I in Harare to join an elite list of Indian bowlers.The express pacer became only the third Indian bowler to claim a wicket with the first ball in a T20I match, joining Arshdeep Singh and Hardik Pandya. Arshdeep achieved victory against USA’s Shayan Jahangir in the 2024 T20 World Cup in Nassau, while Hardik dismissed Pakistan opener Saim Ayub to open the delivery of the 2025 Asia Cup in Dubai.This is also the second time Mayank has bowled the opening ball in a T20I innings, having earlier dismissed Bangladesh opener Parvez Hossain Emon in Hyderabad during the home series in India in October 2024.

The review confirmed the dream start for India

Mayank wasted no time in making an impact after Indian captain Shreyas Iyer won the toss and elected to bowl first.Charging at 149 kmph, the right-armer quickly delivered a back-of-a-length ball outside the off stump late on. Brian Bennett, rooted to the crease, could only manage a gentle edge to wicketkeeper Ishan Kishan.Although the on-field umpire dismissed India’s appeal, Kishan was convinced he had heard something and immediately urged Iyer to review the decision. UltraEdge confirmed a clear spike as the ball passed the bat, overturning the original verdict and sending Bennett back for a golden duck after facing just one delivery.Wicket from the first ball of a T20I by an Indian bowler

The wicket gave India the perfect start and highlighted Mayank’s ability to trouble the batters with his pace and movement from the start.With the dismissal, Mayank also joined an exclusive group of Indian bowlers with more first-ball wickets in T20Is. Bhuvneshwar Kumar leads the list with three such dismissals, while Hardik Pandya, Arshdeep Singh and Mayank now have two each. Ravichandran Ashwin is the only other Indian to have achieved the feat once.Indian bowlers with wickets from the first ball of a T20I innings

Earlier, India named teenage batting sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi in the playing XI, while Rajasthan pacer Ashok Sharma made his international debut. In another first, India also announced designated concussion replacements for specific roles ahead of the match, with Suryansh Shedge, Prabhsimran Singh, Harsh Dubey and Yash Thakur covering batting, wicketkeeping, spin and pace.Zimbabwe were forced into a pre-match change after Milton Shumba was ruled out of the series with a right hamstring injury, with Innocent Kaia replacing him.However, Mayank ensured that Zimbabwe’s innings started in the worst possible way, providing a dream start for India with an equal record first ball.