How ‘gedi’ chat with elder brother Anmolpreet Singh gave Punjab Kings’ opener Prabhsimran Singh a reality check | Cricket News

Punjab Kings’ Prabhsimran Singh performs a shot through the Indian Premier League cricket match in opposition to Chennai Super Kings at MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. (AP)

The time period “gedi” is colloquial Punjabi time period for “chakkar” (spherical/journey). In March earlier this 12 months, when Punjab Kings known as up their gamers to assemble on the Mullanpur Stadium, Anmolpreet Singh determined to drop his youthful brother Prabhsimran Singh to the camp. While placing Prabhsimran’s equipment in his SUV, he casually mentioned: “Chal main tenu Mullanpur chhad aau (Let me drop you to Mullanpur stadium).” The distance between Patiala and Punjab Cricket Association’s (PCA) new stadium is 80 kms. During that two-hour drive, Anmolpreet gave Prabhsimran a “reality check.”
“I gave him my example. The chances I have wasted and how I have fallen down in the pecking order. I reminded him that he is 24 now, and this will be his make-or-break season,” 27-year-old Anmolpreet advised TimesofIndia.com from Patiala.
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Most “gedis” in Punjab are recognized for peppy numbers blaring via the after-market sound methods however all Prabhsimran heard throughout that drive to Mullanpur was phrases of knowledge from his brother.
“I told him to score two hundreds this season, and everything will be taken care of. I specifically told him if he wants to play for India, he must score at least two centuries this season to get noticed,” remembers Anmolpreet.

“The conversation was a bit harsh. I can’t tell you the Punjabi cuss words I used, but it was more along the lines of making the most of the starts. The 20s and 30s will not take him anywhere,” he added.
Cut to current and Prabhsimran has batted with a very mature head and scored back-to-back half-centuries for the primary time in his IPL profession. After a string of 30s, the belligerent right-hander struggled however then scored considered one of his most interesting knocks in opposition to Kolkata Knight Riders on the Eden Gardens.
He was 34 off 32 balls at one level however turned his innings round as the subsequent 49 runs got here off simply 17 balls, and 22 off these got here in a single Sunil Narine over. He adopted it up with one other advantageous knock at Chepauk in opposition to Chennai Super Kings on Wednesday.
“His hitting was never the issue. It was his cameos. He needed to play more balls, and even if he bats slowly initially, he has the ability to triple the scoring rate later. We saw that during the KKR match. He needed to put a prize on his wicket and play long innings,” mentioned Anmolpreet.

While Prabhsimran is but to hit a century this season, the teen has scored three fifty-plus totals, and for the primary time in six years with the Punjab outfit, he has discovered consistency. The swashbuckling opener has amassed 346 runs in 10 matches with a strike charge of 165.55.
The Punter impact

During IPL 2020, Sachin Tendulkar had posted a video on X, earlier Twitter, praising Prabhsimran Singh’s batting. “Prabhsimran is one to watch out for. His backlift and bat swing are free-flowing. When the ball hits his bat, the sound it creates is quite amazing,” Tendulkar had posted.
His batting has not solely impressed Sachin but additionally the present Punjab Kings’ head coach Ricky Ponting, who wished to convey him to the Delhi Capitals as nicely.
Ponting charted a plan for Prabhsimran the place the teen was particularly advised to assemble an strategy in opposition to the bowlers and go for match simulations in open nets as an alternative of the common classes.
“I understood where Ricky was coming from. Earlier, he used to blindly hoick no matter who the bowler was. If you see his innings this season, he has a plan against all the bowlers. He smoked Sunil Narine for 22 runs. Now he knows which bowler to attack. Call it game awareness or maturity. He has improved,” mentioned Anmolpreet.

For the open internet classes, Prabhsimran went to the Cricket Hub academy in Patiala with his elder brother and the duo educated for hours below the watchful eyes of Kamal Sandhu.
“Focus was more on match simulation. He has always been good against the pacers; Ricky’s advice was to improve his batting against spinners,” mentioned Kamal.
“He can tear apart a world-class bowler but, at the same time, can get out to dibbly-dobbly bowlers,” he added.

The brothers used to apply for 3 hours within the afternoon. Most days, they was accompanied by Sardar Satvinder Singh, father of Anmolpreet and uncle to Prabhsimran.
Satvinder Singh, a former captain of the Indian handball crew, has educated two of his sons — Anmolpreet and Tejpreet — and Prabhsimran, son of his youthful brother, for the previous 20 years.
“My father is our coach, and he is still invested in all three of us,” mentioned Anmolpreet.

The elder brother additionally shares an attention-grabbing story of how Prabhsimran approached Ponting earlier than the season and requested to let him don the gloves.
“He loves keeping. Last season, he used to crib a lot as he had to field in the outfield. He is a natural keeper, and he has been doing this consistently this season, and it has enhanced his confidence with the bat,” mentioned Anmolpreet.
After 10 video games, Punjab Kings are at present positioned second on the factors desk. They are chasing a playoff spot for the primary time in 10 years, and Prabhsimran is chasing the goal the brother had set through the “gedi”.