Prince Yadav dismissed Virat Kohli, then earned the India call-up he craved

The moment Prince Yadav uprooted Virat Kohli’s stumps in IPL 2026, the cricketing world took notice.

The dismissal was not just another wicket in a high-profile contest between Lucknow Super Giants and Royal Challengers Bengaluru. It became the defining image of a season that would soon change the young pacer’s life.

Days later, Yadav received the reward he had been working towards for years: A place in India’s ODI squad for the Afghanistan series.

The selection carried a deeper significance. In interviews after the Kohli wicket went viral, Yadav had spoken openly about his dream of sharing a dressing room with Indian greats Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli.

While Kohli’s absence from the series meant the dream was only partly fulfilled, Yadav still experienced a moment he had imagined countless times when he received his maiden India cap.

For someone now rubbing shoulders with the country’s biggest stars, the road to the national team was anything but straightforward.

Yadav grew up in Dariyapur Khurd, a village near Najafgarh in Delhi. Unlike many modern cricketers who enter academies at a young age, he spent his formative years playing tennis-ball cricket in open fields.

Academics never interested him much, and he often chose cricket over classroom lessons. His family envisioned a more secure future, but Yadav was determined to pursue the game.

By his mid-teens, he had built a reputation in local tennis-ball tournaments, travelling across cities to compete and earn small payments for his performances.

What he lacked in formal coaching, he compensated for with raw pace and a deadly yorker. A chance encounter eventually altered the course of his career.

Local cricketers recognised his potential and encouraged him to transition to leather-ball cricket.

Despite starting late compared to his peers, Yadav adapted quickly and earned opportunities in Delhi’s age-group structure.

His progress, however, was interrupted by a two-year suspension related to an age-fraud violation, a setback that could have ended many careers.

Instead, he returned with renewed determination, using domestic competitions as a platform to rebuild his reputation.

Strong performances in the Delhi Premier League revived his prospects and eventually helped him secure opportunities with Lucknow Super Giants.

After learning valuable lessons during his first IPL season, Yadav emerged as a far more complete bowler in 2026, combining pace with control and consistency. The IPL success alone did not earn him national recognition.

Equally important were his performances for Delhi in domestic cricket, particularly in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, where he established himself as one of the competition’s most effective wicket-takers.

Together, those performances created a compelling case for selection. By the time the selectors announced the ODI squad, YadavYadav had done enough to make his inclusion impossible to ignore.

From village grounds and tennis-ball tournaments to dismissing Virat Kohli and representing India, his journey stands as a reminder that talent, when matched with resilience, can eventually find its stage.