Lucknow Super Giants' Mayank Yadav was being hailed as the breakaway star at the beginning of the IPL this season. His speed generated awe as he regularly clocked over 150kmph. His case was almost the same as Umran Malik who broke a fast bowling record in the IPL a couple of seasons ago. 

In the IPL this season, Umran has been in the shadows. Mayank also faded out in the same way following an injury that forced him out for considerable time.

Amidst such youngsters, one bowler who made a brilliant comeback was Rajasthan Royals' Sandeep Sharma. He went unsold in the auction and was inducted into the team as a replacement for the injured Prasidh Krishna. Still, Sandeep did not give up, scalping five wickets against Mumbai Indians and has so far taken 13 wickets, maintaining an economy of 8.18.

Sharma was even effective against SunRisers Hyderabad in the Qualifier-2 on Friday, returning with figures of 2 for 25 in four overs. Sunil Gavaskar sounded enthusiastic while discussing in AIR about the youngsters’ love for speed and pointed out Sandeep with a lot of appreciation. He also slammed those who get impressed by express-pace in Indian cricket.

He opined, “In India, we start salivating whenever anyone bowls over 145. We say he is the next big thing. But bowlers need cleverness which Sandeep Sharma has. No one talks about it from the Indian aspect. He has been delivering consistently," Sunil Gavaskar said on air.

Though Sandeep has consistently performed in the IPL for various franchises, he has never been given a consistent run in the national team.