“This is just the beginning” - PBKS spin-bowling coach Sunil Joshi reflects on Prabhsimran Singh’s brilliant ton

Punjab Kings (PBKS) spin-bowling coach Sunil Joshi hailed young opener Prabhsimran Singh for his scintillating hundred against Delhi Capitals (DC) on Saturday, May 13. While praising the 22-year-old, he predicted a bright future for the aggressive batter.

Prabhsimran notched up his maiden Indian Premier League (IPL) ton, contributing 103 off 65 balls in PBKS’ total of 167/7. His innings made the big difference as DCs' batters struggled in the chase and were held to 136/8 at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi.

In a post-match press conference, Joshi shared his views on Prabhsimran’s amazing innings and said:

“We have backed him from game one. We are all very happy that he has done well. This is just the beginning. He does a lot of practice and has good work ethics. It was due and he himself is happy that it has come at the right time.”

The PBKS opener had got a few starts in the earlier matches and looked in good touch, but failed to convert them into big scores. According to Joshi, the youngster is already showing signs of maturity.

The former India left-arm spinner stated:

“The talent was always there with him, it’s only the maturity that has changed. He’s started thinking about the game and has started respecting the bowlers also. That has helped him a lot and staying calm in different situations.

“Even though he got a lot of starts [in earlier games], he could not convert them. He has learnt from it and has come out very well today [Saturday]. He is a young kid, lot of talent; he will get a lot of opportunities."

Prabhsimran hammered 10 fours and six sixes in his innings before being dismissed by Mukesh Kumar in the penultimate over, attempting a scoop.

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“Being in the nets with international players has helped him get better” - Joshi on Prabhsimran

Reflecting on the improvement in Prabhsimran’s batting over the last year, Joshi pointed out that the youngster has tasted success in domestic cricket. He added that exposure to various coaches and international players in nets during IPL has also helped him grow.

The 52-year-old commented:

“In the last 12 months, he has performed in the Syed Mushtaq Ali tournament as well as Vijay Hazare. He has done well in Ranji Trophy, so all that form has given him a lot of exposure.

"Being in the nets with different coaches, different players, international players, that has helped him get better. That’s where we are looking at - a young talent, which is getting better. We always need to persist with the talent.”

Prabhsimran has so far featured in 18 IPL matches, scoring 398 runs at an average of 22.11 and a strike rate of 140.64.