Every cricketer dreams of wearing the India jersey. For Prince Yadav that dream came true on Wednesday as the young fast bowler made his ODI debut for India in the second One-Day International against Afghanistan.
When India were going into the match confident after an easy seven-wicket win in the first ODI, so much of the pre-match talk was about one man - Prince Yadav. The youth's selection was not a surprise to those who are familiar with domestic cricket. In the past year, he has steadily established himself as one of the most promising fast bowlers in the country through consistent performances and remarkable discipline with the ball.
India has chosen the right man as they are now getting more and more reward from the domestic team. Prince has worked his way up the ranks and his ability to keep the lines tight, handle the run flow and deliver as it comes under pressure has won him a lot of respect from the coaches and cricket experts.
Prince has made up for his economy rate by making scoring more difficult when you can’t. In a game where batters dominate white-ball cricket and bowlers often fail to contain runs, Prince is one of his best qualities.
The ODI series against Afghanistan has already started positively for India. The Men in Blue took a convincing seven-wicket win and lead the series 1-0 with the first ODI. India did great again in the second ODI, and seems to be on course to win the series in a week.
But though the team performed well, the spotlight remained firmly on the debutant. Each delivery bowled by Prince Yadav had special significance. There are years of hard work, sacrifices, long training sessions and millions of matches never played anywhere near the glitz of international cricket.
Indian cricket has always benefited from fresh talent. Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj are a few fast bowlers who have made the leap from domestic cricket to international cricket. Now fans are confident that Prince Yadav will follow in the same path and become part of the pace attack of India in the future.
Of course, one match will not define his career. There will be hard days in the future and more difficult opponents. But every successful international journey begins with a first step and Prince has taken his.
So this debut is not just a first ODI career for the young pacer. It’s a reward of years of hard work and another example that sustained performances in domestic cricket can still get you to the top.
As India aims to carry on the winning momentum against Afghanistan, millions of fans will be watching from all sides of India’s winning team with hope, not just for the result but also for a piece of Prince Yadav’s international story as well.
