NEW DELHI: Zimbabwe has become India’s preferred destination to bring in young talent. Like 2024, when Abhishek Sharma, Dhruv Jurel, Riyan Parag, Sai Sudharsan and Tushar Deshpande received their India caps, this year’s tour also saw Ashok Sharma and Yash Thakur making their T20I debuts. The series also marked the comeback of Mayank Yadav after a long injury layoff.Ahead of the tour, the spotlight was firmly on Mayank and Ashok, both known to regularly bowl at 150 kmph. Thakur, however, was hardly part of the conversation. The Vidarbha pacer quietly went about his business, shunning 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 have been fast-tracked by the Indian side, Thakur’s inclusion has surprised many.Zimbabwe has long been India’s platform to test young cricketers. Here the youngsters get opportunities to prove themselves, and those who perform regularly strengthen their claim for a permanent place in the side. This time, Thakur took the opportunity with both hands.Despite receiving less attention than most cricketers, he quietly continues to do the hard work.Thakur started the series on the bench as Ashok was preferred for the opening T20I. But when his long-awaited second chance came, he made an immediate impact.
The 27-year-old pacer, who was barely mentioned before the tour, shocked many by clocking 140 kmph in his first ever delivery in international cricket.He consistently bowled difficult 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 again, finishing with figures of 4-0-45-2.
A reward for patience
At the age of 27, Thakur had to wait longer than most to don the Indian jersey. His greatest strength is his single-minded focus. He never let rejection affect him and remained patient despite being repeatedly ignored. He always believed that his chance would come one day.When it did, he made sure he took advantage of it.Thakur, who was part of India’s victorious 2016 ACC Under-19 Asia Cup squad and picked up nine wickets during the tournament, also faced many disappointments before finally getting his India cap at the age of 27.He did not play in the Under-19 World Cup. He was not considered a prodigy or fast-tracked in the senior side. However, he continued to work hard and steadily 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 victory in the Irani Cup in 2025.While his parents worried about setbacks, Thakur never lost sight of his purpose.This is his story.“Under 16 competition tha. He didn’t get a single mtch in the tournament. As a parent we all got angry and talked about why he didn’t take advantage despite being in top form. But when he came, we asked him, he quietly entered the room saying ‘mai aur mehnat karunga’. That’s how he is. He was very calm and quietly waiting for his chance. Maybe this quality in him got his reward,” Yash’s mother Kajal Thakur told TimesofIndia.com in an exclusive interview.“Rejections mili usko apan wo mehnat karna rha. Bhagwaan kuch achha socha tha uske liye. This is only the beginning for him that I know. He is a man who keeps his head down and continues to work hard. I am very proud of him,” said the mother.
From Karate to Cricket
Before making a name as a fast bowler for India and the IPL, Thakur’s sporting journey could have taken a different path.His father, Ravi Singh Thakur, was a state-level Karate champion and wanted his son to follow in his footsteps. Thakur has also done well in the sport, winning medals in junior level competitions. But his mother, Kajal, is not comfortable seeing her son competing in a combat sport. Like most mothers, she is always worried about injuries. Eventually, his worries lead Yash away from Karate and towards cricket.
“In a tournament happened in Solapur. He kicked his opponent on his nose during a match and he started bleeding. I was really worried. What if Yash was in the child’s place. I had to argue with his father many times and somehow I got Yash out of Karate,” he said.
‘Dhoni ke jaise keeper banna hai’
While his parents debate his future, Yash has made up his mind.He wants to be a cricketer.From the terrace of his house, he would spend hours watching the children train at the nearby cricket academy. He watches batters play big shots, bowlers celebrate wickets and wicketkeepers dive behind the stumps. Every day, he stood there imagining himself in that land.
The day he finally quit Karate, he went straight to his father with a request. “mujhe wo academy join the karwa do, cricket khelunga.”That decision changed his life.Soon, Yash joined the Praveen Hinganikar Cricket Academy (PHCA) in Nagpur, where he was under the guidance of coach Praveen Hinganikar.“Mai puch usse kya banna chahte ho.. he replied Dhoni ki tarah wicketkeeper batter,” Hinganikar recalled.Yash was only 10 years old when he entered the academy. In 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 upset 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 it.’ That support made all the difference,” the coach said.
The change:
Coach Hinganikar quickly realized that Thakur had something special in his bowling action. But before he can become a true fast bowler, there is one big challenge – his health.The child is overweight, and the first step is to change his body.
Rigorous fitness sessions, long-distance running, sprint drills and a strict diet became part of his daily routine. It was only after improving his fitness that the focus shifted completely to his run-up and bowling. Under the guidance of trainer Prashant, Thakur underwent a remarkable transformation, losing extra weight within a year.At the age of 14, the chubby youngster has become a fit and athletic fast bowler.“He is completely different from everyone else. He has his own class. He can bowl six yorkers in an over,” Hinganikar said.“Now he has lost fat, he has all the muscles above the bones. He is stronger now. You ask him to bowl 7-8 overs on the trot, he can do that easily. He doesn’t seem to mind batters, but looks can be deceiving. He is an amazing bowler. He can fool the batters with his slow and slow yorkers and yorkers too,” said the coach.
A father’s dream
Standing behind Thakur throughout his journey was his father, Ravi Singh Thakur.From dropping him at the academy and picking him up after practice to managing his food and buying cricket equipment, Ravi does everything possible to help his son pursue his dream.But he also has his own dream — 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 person who had the dream at the time was not there to witness it.His father died after suffering a cardiac arrest in 2023.Today, Thakur is fulfilling his father’s dream, while his mother continues to live that dream through her son.Before leaving for the Zimbabwe tour, Thakur told TimesofIndia.com.“Ye papa ka hi dream tha. Aur main unke liye bahut grateful 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 appeal:
After returning from India A 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 crying on the phone when he called me and gave me the news of his debut. He kept saying hello! hello! over the phone, but I couldn’t say a word. When he came back from Sri Lanka, I just hugged him. He folded his hands in front of his father’s photo and entered his room,” said the mother.
She also remembers how determined her husband was to see Yash wearing the Indian jersey.“Inke father mein joonoon tha sports ko leke. Wo khud Karate karte sila. isko bhi banana chahte sila. 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.“Mama, kal aap dekhna pareha ra.”Those few words were enough to make him emotional.The next day, he sat in front of the television, watching his son receive his India cap before claiming his first international wicket.At that moment, she looked at her husband’s photo and said quietly.“Dekho, ab aapka bachcha aaj India cap wear kar gaya hai.”“Maine kisi ko nahi bulaya tha. I was alone and started watching the game. Bas khushi ke aansu sila. Kaash wo hote, to aaj bahot khush hote. Some people came to them, why didn’t I go to Zimbabwe to watch, I said pehla match hai. Aage bahot mauke ayenge,” said the mother.