EXCLUSIVE | ‘If this happiness improves my father’s health even by one percent…’: Prabhsimran Singh on his invitation to India
Prabhsimran Singh (Image credit: Instagram) NEW DELHI: Prabhsimran Singh was in the middle of working out at the gym when the call he was waiting for finally arrived. After building consistency with the Punjab Kings, the opener earned his first call-up to India for the three-match T20I series against Zimbabwe later this month.But before celebrating with anyone, Prabhsimran rushed home.His father, Sardar Surjit Singh, who is facing serious health problems and regularly undergoes dialysis, was waiting there. Despite his condition, he rarely misses watching his son’s matches. When Prabhsimran broke the news that he had finally been selected for India, emotions took over.“It came after a long wait, paaji. We all were waiting for it. Thank God,” Prabhsimran told TimesofIndia. com in an exclusive interview.“Papa ki tabiyat aisi hai ki woh khud se uth nahi paate (My father’s medical condition is such that he cannot even stand up on his own). But when we told him the news, he stood up on his own.“If this luck can improve his health even by one percent, it would mean the world to me. Woh bas yahi bol rahe the, ‘Ab ja raha hai to neeche nahi aana.” Aur bas ek hi baat kahi – ‘Aur mehnat karo (He kept saying, ‘Now that you’re going, don’t come back down.’ And he only told me one thing: ‘Work even harder)’,” he said.After struggling for consistent opportunities in the early years of the IPL, his breakthrough came in 2023 when he scored 358 runs, including his maiden IPL century. He followed that up with 334 runs in 2024 and took another leap with 500-plus seasons in 2025 and 2026. More importantly, he started converting starts into big scores, going from one fifty and a century in 2023 to four fifties in 2025 and six fifties in IPL 2026.“I waited a long time for this because I didn’t get enough opportunities to play before. Once I started getting proper chances, I tried to give my best and everything went well. I had two good seasons in a row.”So somewhere I was hoping to get an opportunity on one of the tours. But I didn’t think much about it because my mindset was always the same – whether it’s a county club match or an IPL match, I just want to perform well. IPL is such a big stage. If you do well there, they will notice everything. I am grateful to have been given this opportunity. I just pray that things go well there too,” said Prabhsimran.
A crusher never lies
Prabhsimran further strengthened his case for a 500-plus season in the IPL with India A in Sri Lanka, where he scored 97 runs in three matches, including a half-century.He has now been picked as India’s second wicket-taker behind Ishan Kishan, with Sanju Samson surprisingly left out.One of the biggest improvements in Prabhsimran’s game has been his consistency. His aggressive approach at the top has remained unchanged, but over the last few seasons he has learned to stay in the crease longer and turn starts into game-winning shots.From scoring 20s and 30s in his early years, he is now regularly turning them into fifties while maintaining a strike tally of over 160. When he got the India A jersey, he summed up his journey perfectly in an Instagram post that read: “The grind never lies.”The aggressive opener, who used to often throw away promising starts, has learned to convert them into winning knocks. He smashed six fifties in IPL 2026, at an average of 42.50 at a strike rate of 168.87, while also hitting 23 sixes.Prabhsimran said the transformation came after he realized that surviving at the highest level required much more than explosive starts.“As you know, it’s such a big platform. I used to feel that scoring 25 or 30 runs was a good start before I got out. But over the last two years, I’ve only had one thing on my mind – if I want to maintain this level,I need to add something to the game. I focused on converting those 25s and 30s into bigger scores. Sometimes even 25 or 30 runs are important, but if the team loses, those runs don’t really mean much. My only goal is that any number of points scored contribute to the team’s victory. Once I am set, I think about finishing the game,” said the batsman.
Ultimate dream: ‘I have to play for India’
Prabhsimran’s journey to the Indian team took a different path from many of his age group mates. While players like Shubman Gill, Abhishek Sharma and Arshdeep Singh broke into the national team earlier, the Punjab Kings opener had to wait longer for his opportunity.While his cousin Anmolpreet Singh represented India in the 2016 U19 World Cup, Prabhsimran did not play in the tournament. However, two years later he led India to the Under-19 Asia Cup title, leading a team featuring Yashasvi Jaiswal, Devdutt Padikkal and Ayush Badoni to a 144-run victory over Sri Lanka in the final.“We have all played together since our age cricket days. I am really happy for them. We have grown up together. Whenever I saw them doing it, I always felt it was my turn too. We talk to each other whenever they do well. Sometimes I talk to their parents too. We don’t really talk much about cricket. Our conversations are mostly about how we are and just having fun,” said Prabhsimran.“I stay with Arshdeep at Punjab (PBKS). Sometimes Abhishek joins us during the domestic season as well. I share a great bond with both of them. We even have six-hitting competitions during practice. You learn a lot from each other.”For Prabhsimran, everything he worked for ultimately came down to a single goal – to represent India.“I always had only one thing in mind – to play for India. When I got the opportunity, it was in the Asia Cup. I became the captain and we won the tournament as well. Things fell into place gradually.”If the opportunity comes, thank God for it. If not, wait for your chance and keep working hard. I’ve always been a quiet person. My only dream was to represent India. Now I made the team. It will be a huge moment if I get my debut. If I perform well, I will get more opportunities,” he said.
Fitness and maintenance changed everything
Prabhsimran’s improvement over the past few seasons has not only been about scoring more runs. Apart from becoming a more consistent batsman, he has also embraced the demanding role of wicketkeeper across formats.Now a regular wicketkeeper for the Punjab Kings, the 25-year-old believes the added responsibility has naturally made him improve his fitness. Keeping wickets throughout the IPL season, followed by domestic cricket across formats, required more stamina and consistency, which he believes played an equally important role in his development.“Fitness is very important if you want to be consistent. I also keep wickets. I have kept wickets throughout the IPL season and also in domestic cricket. So fitness is something you have to work on. The key is to stay consistent in whatever you do, be it training or practice,” said Prabhsimran.“It’s for wickets. In domestic cricket, you play one-dayers, T20s and red-ball cricket. It’s a very long season. If you keep wickets regularly, the responsibility is even greater. So I focused even more on my fitness, batting and wicket-keeping. It wasn’t really about losing weight. I was fine before that,” he said.
Shreyas Iyer and Ricky Ponting effect
Prabhsimran believes Punjab Kings captain Shreyas Iyer and head coach Ricky Ponting played a major role in his transformation by giving him total freedom and encouraging him to play his natural game.Having been with the Punjab franchise since 2019, he feels his biggest growth came after Iyer took over as captain and Ponting came in as head coach ahead of the 2025 season. The timing also coincided with the most productive phase of his IPL career.Rather than changing his aggressive approach, the support from the team management helped him trust him longer and turn promising starts into meaningful innings.“When Shreyas became the captain of Punjab Kings, he spoke to me. He told me only one thing: ‘I am giving you complete freedom. Don’t think there is a problem if you play your shot.’ When a captain gives you that freedom, you can really push your game.
Do you agree that mental preparation is just as important for athletes as physical fitness?
More than 3,000 users shared the opinion today
More than 5,000 users have already voted today
More than 3,000 users shared the opinion today
Share an opinionHe also told me that I have been with the franchise for a while and should see myself as a senior player. He said: ‘You have my full support. Just back your own game,” said Prabhsimran.Prabhsimran also recalled the call he received from Ponting after he was retained by the Punjab Kings.“When we retained Shashank and I, he called us, Mr. Ponting. The biggest thing that stuck with me was when he said, ‘You’re a good player, but I can make you an even better player.’ It’s been two years now and my consistency has also improved.He played a huge role in that. He also tells me that if I get out to play a particular shot, it’s not a problem. Next time, play that shot again with the same confidence. And if you’re getting out because of a bad shot, work on it and turn it into a productive option,” he said.
Learning from Yuvraj Singh
Prabhsimran also credits former India all-rounder Yuvraj Singh for playing a significant role in his development, both on and off the field.Yuvraj is just a call away for him whenever he needs advice, be it cricket or life. As his game has evolved and his consistency has improved over the past two seasons of the IPL, Prabhsimran has continued to rely on the former India star’s guidance.“Paaji has obviously played a huge role. It’s very important to have people who can guide you. Whenever any of us – whether it’s me, Abhishek or any other player – gets some free time, we can always call Paaji. If we need training, he arranges it himself. His role has been huge. He also explains how you can take your game a step further,” he said.After getting his first call-up to India, Yuvraj was among the first people Prabhsimran briefed.“He was very happy. He said the moment we’ve been waiting for so long has finally arrived. Now we just have to work even harder. I told him, ‘Paaji is busy right now. I’ll work with him as soon as he’s free’,” Prabhsimran said.