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Prabhsimran Singh thanked Punjab Kings (PBKS) head coach Ricky Ponting and former India all-rounder Yuvraj Singh for being selected for India's T20I squad. The PBKS and India A team opener has been selected for India's away T20I series against Zimbabwe.
For the Zimbabwe tour, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has named a mix of experienced players and a bunch of emerging players across the departments of the team.
Ricky Ponting and Yuvraj Singh helped Prabhsimran Singh from the back
The inclusion of Prabhsimran Singh came as a surprising move by the selectors. In an exclusive video to the news agency PTI, the top-order batter revealed how Ponting and Yuvraj have been with him in the journey.
He emphasized that without the support of the PBKS head coach and the World Cup-winning former India cricketer, he might not have been able to make his way into the national cricket team.
While Ricky Ponting and Yuvraj Singh are from different nations, Prabhsimran observed that both of these former Cricketers contain almost similar mindsets, as both Ponting and Yuvraj could only think about the best possible position.
"They're different personalities, but their thinking is very similar. Ricky (Ponting) sir told me after retention that the player I was, he would make me even better. When you start seeing the results, you realise he meant every word," Prabhsimran told PTI.
Yuvraj Singh advises Prabhsimran Singh to think in advance
The batter stated that Yuvraj Singh always asked him to think one step ahead during the preparations, in the nets. The 24-year-old further mentioned that whenever he got some extra time in hand, he went for batting sessions with Yuvraj Singh as his mentor and teacher.
"Yuvraj (Singh) paaji always says you have to practise one step ahead of everyone else. Whenever I get time, I like working with him and learning something new. Both of them have helped me immensely in reaching this stage," he added.
Prabhsimran also informed that he called Yuvraj as soon as he got to know he was named for India's T20I team for the Zimbabwe series.
"I told him that what we had been discussing had finally become reality. He was very happy and shared his experiences about international cricket, even the small things that could help me," he further added.
VIDEO | Ricky Ponting's promise to make him a "better player" and Yuvraj Singh's insistence on always staying "one step ahead" were instrumental in his return to the India set-up, Punjab Kings opener Prabhsimran Singh said after being picked for the upcoming white-ball tour of… pic.twitter.com/dFCa5YeRXB
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) July 9, 2026
It is well known that Yuvraj Singh has been actively working with several young Indian talents over the last few years. Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill, and Priyansh Arya are among those who trained under the guidance of the former Indian star.
Suryansh Shedge, another Punjab Kings cricketer, made his debut for Team India
Another notable thing is that since Shreyas Iyer was appointed India captain, two Punjab Kings players have been named to the national team. After Suryansh Shedge, Prabhsimran Singh is set to join the team for the upcoming T20Is.
Suryansh Shedge made his India debut during India's 2-match series against Ireland in Belfast. However, he is yet to impress the team management with his all-round performance.
