Prince Yadav finally got his breakthrough in international cricket, and he did it in style. The India debutant picked up his maiden ODI wicket against Afghanistan in the second match of the series at the Ekana Stadium in Lucknow on June 17, sending Nangeyalia Kharoti back for six with a superb delivery.
The right-arm pacer had already tasted early success in the match when he seemed to dismiss Rahmanullah Gurbaz in his third over, only for the effort to be overturned after it was declared a no-ball. Even so, Prince looked lively with the new ball and showed promising movement alongside Arshdeep Singh.
Reintroduced into the attack in the 29th over, Prince briefly went for runs as Rahmat Shah struck consecutive classy straight drives. But he responded in the best possible manner in the very next over. Coming around the wicket, the young quick delivered one that crashed into Kharoti’s stumps, giving India a much-needed wicket and the debutant his first official scalp in international cricket.
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There was a moment of suspense as Prince instinctively looked back at the umpire to confirm the delivery was legal, clearly aware of the earlier no-ball scare. This time, however, umpire Virender Sharma confirmed the dismissal, allowing the youngster to celebrate freely with his teammates as they congratulated him on a memorable milestone.
Dreams do come true! 💙#PrinceYadav castles the batter to register his maiden international wicket. What a special moment!👏🏻#INDvAFG | 2nd ODI | LIVE NOW 👉https://t.co/YiwP9pOAPC pic.twitter.com/1B4SeflADG
— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) June 17, 2026
Prince’s strike came at a crucial stage in Afghanistan’s chase of a mammoth 403. The visitors were already struggling to keep up with the required rate and soon slipped further after Prince’s breakthrough. From a position of 140 for 3, Afghanistan quickly lost momentum and were left scrambling in the middle overs.
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In the end, Afghanistan were bundled out for 232, handing India a massive 170-run victory. Prince Yadav’s final wicket capped off an impressive debut performance and gave India another encouraging fast-bowling option for the future.
