New Delhi: Purani Dilli 6 pacer Aayush Thakur, who became the first bowler to claim a five-wicket haul in the ongoing Delhi Premier League (DPL), has admitted that he learnt the art of bowling yorkers from India left-arm fast bowler Arshdeep Singh during his stint with the Punjab Kings in the IPL as a net bowler.
The 21-year-old bowler, who represented India ‘B’ in an Under-19 Quadrangular international series, picked up a five-wicket haul that powered Purani Dilli 6 to a 20-run win over North Delhi Strikers at the Delhi Premier League here on Tuesday.
“I speak to Arshdeep Singh a lot and I am still in touch with him I have learnt a lot from him in terms of executing my yorkers when there is dew,” Ayush told reporters after the post-match ceremony.
Thakur, with 12 wickets in 7 matches, is currently second in the list of most wicket takers — just one behind Simarjeet Singh (13 in 6 matches).
He has been a net bowler in IPL for two years.
“I was a net bowler in the IPL for two years for Punjab Kings (2022) and Lucknow Super Giants (2023) so I do have a lot of experience of that, so implementing that very experience here was crucial,” he said.
Thakur revealed that he started his career as a batter but there was a sudden change in his career after joining the Sonnet Cricket Club under famed cricket coach Tarak Sinha.
“I was ready to transform myself into a bowler because there was a lot of fight and competition in Delhi for batters so the fast bowlers were fewer in numbers at that time. I have become a fast bowler now which feels great as I am also doing well for the team,” he said.
“I have worked a lot on my swing bowling from the beginning. Tarak Sinha sir helped me a lot. Earlier I played state level as an opener but when I went to Sonnet, they made me a fast bowler which was a turning point in my life, so since then I have been playing state and the performances have been good too.
“I feel great because it was a brilliant opportunity for us, those who do well here(DPL) will get more chances in the future, so I just kept it simple by executing my plan which I did nicely and bagged a five-wicket haul and won the match for my team.”
Asked about his IPL prospects, Thakur said: “Yes, it is on my mind to play there (IPL) after doing well here (DPL), just have to make sure that I do not get ahead of myself and perform well for the next matches and recover in time.”
