“It was very difficult, especially the gap of two years was a challenge because age wasn’t on my side,” Mayank said after picking up 2 for 18 in four overs in Harare. “I was just 22-23 [years old]. I felt that I had to suffer so much at a young age. At the same time, the motivation to play for the country was always there. So I wanted to make a comeback and perform as I did before.”

But India reduced Zimbabwe to 26 for 3 inside the powerplay, and the seamers picked up five of the seven wickets that fell. Mayank and Prince returned two wickets apiece while Dube took one. Ashok went wicketless but impressed on his first international appearance.

Asked about his conversations with the other young fast bowlers, Mayank said: “We don’t talk a lot about pace but we have a nice bond. I bowled the first over today, so I shared inputs with Prince and Ashok – about the assistance I got and the better options to attack. We were in a very good situation after the first six overs. So the conversations were about how much more we can squeeze them, and what more we could bowl.”

“I hadn’t spoken to him much before the game,” Mayank said. “But during the game, he showed a lot of confidence in the bowlers. I felt good that he backed what I wanted to bowl.

“When he gave me some advice, I felt confident in executing it and felt it was a good option at that time. I felt quite free playing under him. I was playing under his captaincy for the first time. I had only watched him on TV or lead other teams. I felt very good to play under him.”

“His batting is unbelievable,” Mayank said. “When I bowled to him, he played shots you wouldn’t expect a young player with so little experience to play. Watching him bat is always a treat.

“The talent he has at this age is fabulous. I never imagined some 15-year-old will come and smash everyone like that. It is a great feeling to have him in my team especially because in the IPL, when we played against them [RR], and he smashed us.”