Yash Thakur: From rejections to India’s new pace hope, the Vidarbha pacer made a quiet but impactful debut for India during the T20I series against Zimbabwe in 2024. While the spotlight before the tour was on pacers like Mayank Yadav and Ashok Sharma, Thakur was not part of the conversation. Yet, when his opportunity arrived in the second T20I, he surprised everyone by clocking 140 kmph with his first delivery and finishing with figures of 2 for 30.
Yash Thakur: From rejections to India’s new pace hope is a story of patience and perseverance. At 27, Thakur waited longer than most for his India cap, facing disappointments like missing the Under-19 World Cup despite being part of the winning 2016 ACC Under-19 Asia Cup squad. He channeled his focus into domestic cricket, becoming the highest wicket-taker in the 2021-22 Vijay Hazare Trophy with 18 wickets and playing a key role in Vidarbha’s Irani Cup win in 2025.
His journey began with a shift from karate to cricket at age 10, inspired by a dream to be a wicketkeeper like MS Dhoni. But his coach Praveen Hinganikar saw his potential as a bowler and transformed him from an overweight youngster into a fit fast bowler who can bowl six yorkers in an over. Behind him was his father, Ravi Singh Thakur, who dreamed of seeing his son in India blue but passed away in 2023 before witnessing it.
After returning from an India A tour, Thakur received the selection call and immediately informed his mother. On debut day, she watched alone, tears of joy flowing as she looked at her husband’s photo and said, Your child now wears the India cap. With four wickets in two matches, Yash Thakur proves that rejections are just steps on the path to success, honoring his father’s dream.