Indian pacer Yash Thakur has opened up on his conversation with the Indian talismanic pacer Virat Kohli during the recently concluded IPL 2026 season, when he revealed his frustration over the lack of game time over the last two seasons.
Speaking to Cricinfo, Thakur, who played only three games across the last two IPL seasons for the Punjab Kings (PBKS), revealed that he was frustrated with little game time and took a piece of advice from Kohli.
“I told him I was frustrated as I wasn’t getting to play regularly. So he advised me not to think too much about the future. He said it was just as important to feel grateful for whatever opportunities I have got so far, and that my preparation must improve day by day – so whenever I would get a chance to play, I shouldn’t feel I’m not ready. So I started working on [my preparation],” Thakur told Cricinfo.
Furthermore, Thakur also delved into the details of his conversation with the former Indian captain MS Dhoni. He shared that he was feeling extreme pressure of playing in front of huge crowds and Dhoni’s advice has helped him to overcome that.
“I told him (Dhoni) I felt nervous and under pressure, given I had never played in front of such huge crowds. So he told me I would keep feeling that way even in the future – whether at the IPL or whenever I play for India. His advice was to not overthink, and just let things sink in so that I could relax. This method continues to help me. The moment I feel any pressure, I take my time to settle,” he added.
Later, Thakur showered praise on the Indian veteran batter KL Rahul. Notably, the pacer played for the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in the IPL 2023 and IPL 2024 seasons under Rahul’s captaincy.
“Seeing [KL] Rahul bhaiya, who was our captain at LSG, I learnt about having clarity and calmness. He spoke to us in such a relaxed manner. Even if our plans didn’t come off, he never lost his cool. So those are important things I took back from my first year in the IPL,” said Thakur.
“I wasn’t expecting to be picked after going unsold at the mega auction in 2022. But I was grateful that I was eventually taken in 2023, and even got to play for LSG. Everything was new for me. I was just star-struck on seeing and sharing the dressing room with some top international players,” he concluded.
