Mayank Markande makes India debut: Here's everything you need to know about Punjab spinner

Mayank Markande was born on November 11 in 1997 in Bathinda, one of the oldest cities in Punjab. His father is an inspector working with Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) in Patiala and the mother runs a clothing boutique. PC: Markande Twitter
 

Markande Mayank, who started off as a fast bowler, apparently had mastered the art of bowling the back-of-the-hand slower delivery but then his coach suggested he could be a more effective leg spinner. Hence, he converted Markande's slower ball into a fine googly and the decidion has turned out to be the best for the youngster. PC: Twitter
 

Markande made his Under-16 debut during the Vijay Merchant Trophy during the 2013-14 season for Punjab. His debut was very impressive as he ended up with as many as 29 wickets in just seven games at an excellent average of 18.24. 

His stunning start on the junior level helped him break into the senior sides. He made his debut in the limited-overs format in the 2017-18 domestic season. He played his first List A game in Vijay Hazare Trophy against Haryana on February 7 last year and he went on to play six matches in which he picked 10 wickets at an impressive economy of 4.67. Meanwhile, he made his T20 debut for Punjab in the Syed Mushtaq Ali tournament in 2018. His maiden T20 match was Punjab's fixture against Jammu and Kashmir. Out of Punjab's nine matches in the tournament, Markande played four and bagged five wickets. 
 

After impressing the franchise in the trials, Mumbai Indians picked Markande in the auction for Rs 20  lacs. Since he was playing a match for Punjab, he wasn't aware of the news. When he checked his phone at the end of the day, he found 300 messages and 37 missed calls. However, he only believed the news when Mumbai Indians' manager called him and congratulated him for his contract. 

The Punjab spinner was one of those cricketers who had a memorable IPL debut. He returned with figures of 3 for 23 for Mumbai Indians in the first game of the season in 2018. This was also the second best performance overall as a debutant of MI after Lasith Malinga who had registered the figures of 3 for 15.
 

Markande recently was a part of the India A team that played against England Lions in both limited-overs and longer format series. Both the sides first locked horns in a five-match unofficial ODI series and Markande played the first two matches. The 21-year-old picked two wickets in the first ODI and followed up with three scalps more in the second match. While he was benched for the first unofficial Test between both the sides, he played the second match.  Markande's five-wicket haul in the second innings helped India defeat England Lions by an innings and 68 runs and seal the series 1-0. 

Following his impressive outing for India A against England Lions, India included him in the T20I squad for the upcoming two-match T20I series against Australia.