Abhishek Sharma and Prince Yadav (Image credit: BCCI)
NEW DELHI: India fast bowler Prince Yadav made a valuable contribution with the bat in the third T20I against the West Indies in Indore. After India's 14-run victory, Prince revealed that he had used Abhishek Sharma's bat to score his quick runs.Prince hit three fours in the final over bowled by Shamar Joseph to finish with 13 runs off six balls. His cameo helped India post 223/5 in 20 overs at the Holkar Stadium.
Prince also impressed with the ball, giving away only 20 runs in his two overs during the death overs, when the West Indies needed more than 15 runs per over.
Abhishek gave Prince his bat
Prince revealed that Abhishek had lent him his bat before his innings and had also given him a warning."Obviously, brother, it is great to contribute to the team, whether it's with the ball, bat, or in the fielding. So, I am feeling good. So, Abhi bhaiya gave me his bat earlier and said, 'don't embarrass the bat'. So, I kept its honour," Prince told bcci.tv in a chat with Abhishek after the game.Abhishek praised Prince's ability to score quick runs and said the fast bowler had the power to hit boundaries. He added that fans would get to see more of Prince's batting skills in the future.
'He's famous in Delhi for single phatti'
Abhishek explained that Prince had developed his batting skills by playing one-on-one matches in Delhi."I've seen his batting; if anyone hasn't seen it, he's famous in Delhi for 'single phatti'. Single phatti means one-on-one matches. In that, you have to both bat and bowl. So he has that talent to hit sixes and fours. We saw a bit of it today, and we'll see more in future. As for the bat, well...you need power too," Abhishek said.
Prince plans to use Abhishek's bat again
Prince also shared that he had used Abhishek's bat during India's tour of Ireland, where he hit a six. Abhishek recalled that shot while the two were discussing Prince's cameo."I played with Abhi bhaiya's bat in England too (Ireland)," Prince said, before Abhishek quipped, "he hit a six there."
Prince continued, "Yeah, I hit a six in Ireland too and here as well. So, I will take bhaiya's bat the next time too."Abhishek agreed to lend him the bat again, replying, "Granted".
Prince then thanked the India opener.
Shreyas Iyer praises Prince's late contribution
India captain Shreyas Iyer also praised Prince for helping the team reach a strong total with his late cameo."We steadied the ship in the middle order as well. That took us to a commendable total of 223. Even Prince coming and playing that cameo at the end, those were useful runs, I felt," Shreyas said in the post-match presentation.India's 14-run victory gave them a 2-1 lead in the five-match T20I series against the West Indies.