New Delhi, April 9 Punjab Kings batsman Prabhsimran Singh fully supports the 'Impact Sub' rule, praising it for giving young players a valuable opportunity and a golden chance to shine in the IPL.
The young player also revealed that he consciously tries to model his wicket-keeping style after Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
The 'Impact Sub' rule has faced criticism from several cricket experts for disproportionately favouring batsmen, undermining the role of all-rounders, and contributing to inflated scores. However, Prabhsimran sees things differently.
"As a young player, I see the Impact Sub rule as a great opportunity, and I have said this many times. Many people don't like it because, obviously, a team can take more high-risk decisions when a player—whether a batsman or bowler—is added to the side," said Prabhsimran in a media interaction.
"But for young players, it's invaluable. When I joined the (PBKS) franchise, I spent eight years with them, and for four of those years, I didn't get many chances to play. Sitting on the sidelines, I always hoped for a chance, and now, because of the Impact Sub rule, I feel the opportunities for young players have increased significantly," added the young top-order batter, who scored over 500 runs in the last IPL season.
With India blessed with a wealth of top-order wicketkeepers-batsmen, including KL Rahul, Sanju Samson, Rishabh Pant, and Ishan Kishan, one might wonder if Prabhsimran tries to emulate them or stick to his own style, and the cricketer clarifies that he consciously makes an effort only to model his game after former India captain Dhoni.
"You can't say I try to copy anyone...they are all my seniors, and each has their own style of play, while I have mine. Now that I am also keeping, I have watched Mahi bhai's keeping—his hands are so fast.
"I don't try to copy anyone in batting, but when it comes to keeping, I consciously make an effort to be like Mahi bhai."
Prabhsimran, who has been with the Punjab franchise for eight years, has in the past couple of seasons established himself as their go-to opener for a blazing start, and says the powerplay is now the phase where teams unleash their attacking intent to drive toward a 200-plus score, a feat that is increasingly becoming the norm.
"The game has become so fast that earlier, scores of 170–180 were defendable, and even today that can happen, but when you look at the numbers, 200-plus scores are increasingly becoming the norm. To reach 200-plus, I feel the powerplay has to be approached with an attacking mindset.
"Clarity from the team—coach and captain—is crucial in deciding whether we should go all out, and with that clarity, scoring 250 isn't very difficult. Clarity of thought is key, because to post or chase 200, you have to play high-risk cricket," says the Punjab player, who, like India opener Abhishek Sharma, also seeks guidance from World Cup-winning star Yuvraj Singh.
"With Yuvi paaji, the relationship isn't like coach and student...it's more like an elder brother. Whenever Priyansh Arya and I get time, we call him and request guidance, and he arranges training sessions either in Mohali or Gurgaon. We even have the freedom to call him and disturb him at 3 or 4 in the morning."
On nurturing ambitions of representing India and seeing a close friend like Abhishek rise to the senior level, the 25-year-old says consistent effort is the only way forward.
"The level of competition for an India berth means you have to push yourself even harder—less effort simply won't suffice. There is immense competition, but if you take it positively as healthy competition, it helps you grow. That chance (to play in the senior team) will come, but I'll need to keep raising the bar.
"With Abhishek Sharma, we share a very close bond and have played a lot of cricket together. It feels great to see someone you've played with succeed, and I always wish the best for him in both good and tough phases. At the same time, it creates a healthy drive within me—my partner has made it to India, and now it's my turn," says Prabhsimran.