NEW DELHI: Every cricketer dreams of taking a wicket on debut. Prince Yadav’s ODI debut had all the ingredients of a dream beginning – a wicket, celebrations and teammates rushing in to congratulate him. But within seconds, it turned into a moment of heartbreak at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow.The young pacer thought he had claimed his maiden ODI wicket when Afghanistan opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz miscued a pull shot and offered a simple catch to Arshdeep Singh at mid-on. Prince celebrated, his teammates joined in with high-fives, and the smiles were all around. Then came the dreaded siren.As the no-ball alarm echoed around the stadium, the celebrations abruptly stopped. The wicket was overturned after replays showed Prince had overstepped by the narrowest of margins. The young fast bowler could only manage a disappointed smile as the reality sank in.The delivery itself had done everything right. Prince banged it in short and hurried Gurbaz into an uncomfortable pull shot. The Afghanistan batter had no control over the stroke, top-edging the ball high into the air before Arshdeep completed a comfortable catch.But instead of walking back to the pavilion, Gurbaz survived and was awarded a free hit, leaving Prince to endure one of cricket’s most cruel debut moments.The incident came after India had posted a massive 402 all out in the second ODI of the three-match series.After Afghanistan won the toss and opted to bowl, India once again continued their experimentation ahead of next year’s World Cup. Yashasvi Jaiswal was promoted to open alongside Rohit Sharma, while captain Shubman Gill moved down to No. 3.Jaiswal’s stay was brief as he managed just four runs, but Rohit looked in sublime touch during his 48-run knock before Rashid Khan produced a trademark googly to clean him up.What followed was a batting masterclass from Gill and Ishan Kishan.Gill battled oppressive heat, cramps and physical discomfort to compile a magnificent 154, his ninth ODI hundred and first as India’s ODI captain. The stylish right-hander mixed elegance with authority, punishing anything loose while anchoring the innings throughout.Kishan provided the perfect foil. The left-hander ended a three-year wait for an ODI century with a blistering 125 off just 79 deliveries. His innings featured powerful pulls, fearless strokeplay and innovative hitting, including a couple of audacious one-handed sixes.Together, Gill and Kishan added 224 runs for the third wicket in just 141 balls, completely taking the game away from Afghanistan.Despite Gill’s heroic effort, India suffered a dramatic collapse in the closing stages. Nangeyalia Kharote led Afghanistan’s fightback with figures of 4/76, while Rashid Khan claimed three wickets.KL Rahul fell for a first-ball duck, while Shreyas Iyer’s promising cameo ended on 26. India eventually lost seven wickets in the final 10 overs but still finished with an imposing 402.As Afghanistan began their chase, much of the attention quickly shifted to Prince Yadav. The debutant had his first ODI wicket in his grasp, only for it to be taken away moments later by a marginal no-ball call.It was a painful introduction to international cricket, but one that also showed he has the ability to trouble batters at the highest level.
