Lucknow Super Giants Prince Yadav (AP Photo)
NEW CHANDIGARH: It wasn’t long ago that Prince Yadav was repeatedly criticized by his father for hanging around the neighborhood playing cricket and tennis. Until the age of 17, Prince played all his tennis and cricket matches in Dariapur Khurd, a village outside Virender Sehwag’s hometown, Najafgarh, on the southwestern outskirts of the capital.“Bahut mar khata tha ghar pe. (I used to take a lot of hits at home),” says the LSG pacer with a sly smile during a chat with TOI here, “I never aspired to become a professional cricketer. The thought never crossed my mind. I just enjoyed playing tennis ball cricket and didn’t do anything else.”Go beyond boundaries with our YouTube channel. Subscribe now!At first glance, it’s hard to imagine Prince as a fast player. He doesn’t stand very tall and his super-thin physique can be very misleading.
His father (a retired member of the railway police force) had legitimate concerns. The family’s profits were largely dependent on wheat farming, and Prince probably did not seem to add anything to it. But the irony is that he is still playing tennis ball cricket at the age of 24, even though he is fast becoming an Indian fast bowler who has never played in the Indian Premier League.“I am still playing cricket and tennis even after returning from IPL last year.
I can’t speak for everyone, but it helps me with my arm speed because you need to put in a lot of effort to throw fast with a tennis ball. “Yorker zorr se lagta hain (You can have a quick yorker),” he says, before quickly adding: “When I get time off from cricket, I go to the farms. I love farming. We harvested wheat just a few days ago.”EPL 2026: Best bowling average and batting average (minimum 10 wickets)
On Sunday, Prince came out of the carnage of Punjab Kings with figures of 2/25 in his four overs.
He was known for his players in Delhi cricket. But this year, he looks like a more rounded bowler. LSG’s bowling coach Bharat Arun claims that he has all the ingredients to be an outstanding fast bowler. “We have seen that he can make the ball swing and he also has variations. He’s got a good combination of slow balls and yorkers.
“He works hard to hone those skills whenever he gets a chance to play,” Aaron says.Prince has been learning on the job ever since he was selected by former Delhi cricketer Lalit Yadav who insisted he join an academy 15 kilometers from his home at the age of 17. During LSG training sessions, it is impossible to see Prince too far away from Mohamed El Shami. He will walk to Shami after every birth and ask for approval.“You should be blessed to play with someone like Shami. He is always with all the young fast bowlers. He will talk about life off the field when we are not training.
“He’s hanging out with us,” Prince gushes, “I can’t share what he’s saying because this stuff is so personal.”“After the last IPL, I was in constant touch with Zaheer Khan (LSG’s mentor last year). I spent a lot of time with Ishant Sharma in the Delhi state team. Since I joined Delhi cricket, I have been just learning about the art of fast bowling,” he added.Everything seems to be happening so fast for Prince right now. But he suffered a major blow when the BCCI banned him for two years for age-fixing in 2020 after he played Under-19 cricket within a year of playing with the hard ball. “That was a very dark phase. My family supported me because they understood that I could do something in my life by playing cricket. Former Delhi fast bowler Pradeep Sangwan came to me and said he would coach me during that period. For two years, I quietly trained with him and played cricket and tennis. That’s why I was able to run on the ground right after the lockdown ended,” Prince recalls.Prince is now on BCCI’s shortlist of targeted fast bowlers. He is seen as a prospect who can take India’s fast bowling forward. But for now, he is happy to see his family happy to watch him play cricket.
