NEW DELHI: Zimbabwe has become India’s favorite destination to bring in young talent. Just like in 2024, when Abhishek Sharma, Dhruv Jurel, Riyan Parag, Sai Sudharsan and Tushar Deshpande received their first Indian caps, this year’s tour also saw Ashok Sharma and Yash Thakur making his T20I debut. The series also marked the return of Mayank Yadav after a long injury layoff.Ahead of the tour, the focus was firmly on Mayank and Ashok, both known to be consistent at over 150 km/h. Thakur, however, was not part of the conversation. The Vidarbha pacer had been quietly going about his business, distancing himself from the hype surrounding India’s new generation of fast bowlers. Why Yash Thakur?Among the current crop of young pacers with Mayank, Ashok and Gurnoor Brar, who was soon in the Indian side, Thakur’s inclusion surprised many.Zimbabwe has long been India’s platform to test young cricketers. It is where young people have the opportunity to prove themselves, and those who do often strengthen their claim for a permanent place in the side. This time, Thakur grabbed that opportunity with both hands.Despite receiving much less attention than many of the cricketers, he quietly continued to do the hard work.Thakur started the series on the bench as Ashok was preferred for the T20I opener. But when his long-awaited opportunity came in the second game, he made an immediate impact.
The 27-year-old pacer, who was hardly talked about before the tour, surprised many by hitting 140 kmph with his first delivery in international cricket.He consistently bowled hard lengths and back-of-a-length deliveries to return figures of 4-0-30-2 on debut. He retained his place for the third and final T20I and impressed once again, finishing with figures of 4-0-45-2.
A reward for patience
At 27, Thakur had to wait much longer than most to wear the India jersey. His greatest strength was his single-minded focus. He never let rejection affect him and remained patient despite being repeatedly neglected. He always believed that his opportunity would come one day.When he finally did, he made sure he made the most of it.Thakur, who was part of India’s victorious 2016 ACC Under-19 Asia Cup squad and took nine wickets during the tournament, also faced many disappointments before finally earning his India captaincy at the age of 27.He missed the Under-19 World Cup. He was never considered a prodigy or a fast step into the senior side. Instead, he continued to work hard and built his career through domestic cricket.
He made his List A debut for Vidarbha in 2017 before making his first-class and T20 debuts in the next two seasons.His domestic breakthrough came in the 2021-22 Vijay Hazare Trophy, where he finished as the tournament’s highest wicket-taker with 18 wickets in seven matches. He also played a key role in Vidarbha’s Irani Cup triumph in 2025.While his parents worried about setbacks, Thakur never lost sight of his goal.It’s his story.“Under 16 ka competition tha. He didn’t get a single mtch in the tournametn. As a parent we were all angry and we talked because he didn’t take the chance despite being in top form. But when he came, we asked, he entered the room silently saying “mai aur mehnat karunga”. That’s the person he is. He is very calm and silently waited for his opportunity. Maybe this quality in him will get him the reward,” Yash’s mother Kajal Thakur told TimesofIndia.com in an exclusive interview.“Rejections mili usko but wo mehnat karna rha. Bhagwaan kuch achha socha tha uske liye. This is just a beginning for him I know. He is a man who keeps his head and continues to work hard. I am so proud of him,” said the mother.
From Karate to Cricket
Before making a name for himself as a fast bowler for India and in the IPL, Thakur’s sporting journey could have taken a completely different path.His father, Ravi Singh Thakur, was a state-level Karate champion and wanted his son to follow in his footsteps. Thakur also did well in sports, winning medals in junior level competitions. But his mother, Kajal, was never comfortable seeing her son compete in a combat sport. Like most mothers, she always worried about injuries. Eventually, his preoccupations led Yash away from Karate and towards cricket.
“In a tournament it happened in Solapur. He took his opponent on the nose during a match and he started to bleed. That really worried me. What if Yash would have been in the place of the child. I had to argue with his father several times and somehow I was able to take Yash from Karate,” he said.
‘Dhoni ke jaise keeper banna hai’
While his parents were discussing his future, Yash had already made up his mind.He wanted to become a cricketer.From the terrace of his house, he would spend hours watching the children being trained at a nearby cricket academy. He watched batsmen play big shots, bowlers celebrate wickets and wicketkeepers dive behind the stumps. Every day, he stood there imagining himself on that land.
The day he finally quit Karate, he went straight to his father with a question: “mujhe wo academy join karwa do, cricket khelunga”.This decision changed his life.Soon, Yash joined the Praveen Hinganikar Cricket Academy (PHCA) in Nagpur, where he came under the guidance of coach Praveen Hinganikar.“Mai puch usse kya banna chahte ho.. replied Dhoni ki tarah wicketkeeper batter,” Hinganikar recalled.Yash was only 10 years old when he joined the academy. For the first few months, he trained only as a wicketkeeper.Then came a practice session that completely changed the course of his career.“There were no bowlers in the nets. I asked him to bowl. The moment I saw him bowling, I told him, ‘Abb keeping gloves nahi pehenna hai, you start bowling,'” Hinganikar recalled.The decision was difficult for young Yash to accept.“He was stuck for almost a month because he wanted to be a wicketkeeper. But his father stood firmly behind me. He told Yash, ‘Whatever Praveen Sir says, you have to do’. That support made all the difference,” the coach said.
The transformation
Coach Hinganikar quickly realized that Thakur had something special in his bowling action. But before he could become a real fast bowler, there was one major challenge – his fitness.The young man was overweight, and the first step was to transform his body.
Rigorous fitness sessions, long distance running, sprint exercises and a strict diet became part of his daily routine. Only after he improved his fitness did the focus completely shift to his running and bowling. Under the guidance of trainer Prashant, Thakur underwent a remarkable transformation, shedding the extra weight within a year.By the age of 14, the chubby youngster had become a fast and athletic bowler.“He is totally different from everyone. He has his own class. He can bowl six yorkers in an over,” said Hinganikar.“Now he has lost the fat, he has all the muscles on his bones. He is stronger now. You ask him to bowl 7-8 overs in the trot, he can do that easily. It seems that he is not familiar with boats, but looks are deceiving. He is a wonderful bowler. He can fool the batsmen with his slower as well as slow yorkers and yorkers,” the coach said.
A father’s dream
Standing behind Thakur throughout his journey was his father, Ravi Singh Thakur.From dropping him off at the academy and picking him up after practice to managing his diet and buying cricket equipment, Ravi has done everything possible to help his son pursue his dream.But he also had a dream of his own – to one day see his son play for India.That dream finally came true when the 27-year-old made his India debut against Zimbabwe. The Vidarbha pacer featured in two T20Is and took four wickets in his first international assignment.Unfortunately, the man who had dreamed of that moment was not there to witness it.His father died after having a cardiac arrest in 2023.Today, Thakur has fulfilled his father’s dream, while his mother continues to live that dream through her son.Before leaving for the Zimbabwe tour, Thakur had told TimesofIndia.com:“Ye papa ka hi dream tha. Aur main unke liye bahut grate hoon kyunki day one se jab tak woh the, he always supported me and dekhna chahte the mujhe India jersey mein. Aaj wo hote to bahot khush hote [t was my father’s dream. I am very grateful to him because from day one, until he was with us, he always supported me. If he were here today, he would have been extremely happy].”
The emotional call
After returning from India’s tour of Sri Lanka, Thakur landed at Nagpur airport when he received the call informing him of his selection in India.The first person he called was his mother.“I was numb on the phone when he called me and gave me the news of his debut. He kept saying hello! hello! on the phone, but I couldn’t speak. When he came home from Sri Lanka, I just hugged him. He folded his hands in front of his father’s photo and went to his room,” said the mother.
She also remembered how determined her husband had been to see Yash wear the India jersey.“Inke father mein joonoon tha sports ko leke. Wo khud Karate karte they. isko bhi banana chahte they. Jab cricket mein shift hua to wo ye kehte they ki jo mai nkhud nahi kar paya country ke liye, mai chanta hun Yash kare wo ek din – India khele,” he said.
The debut
A day before his debut, Yash called his mother with a simple message.“Mom, kal aap dekhna mere match.”Those few words were enough to release his emotions.The next day, he sat in front of the television, watching his son receive his cap in India before claiming his first international wicket.At that moment, she looked at her husband’s photograph and calmly said:“Dekho, ab aapka bachcha aaj India cap wear kar gaya hai”.“Maine kisi ko nahi bulaya tha. I was alone and started to watch the match. Bas khushi ke aansu them. Kaash wo hote, to aaj bahot khush hote. Some people came and said, why did I not go to Zimbabwe to watch, I said pehla match hai. Aage bahot mauke ayenge,” said the mother.
