'My father's health...': Prabhsimran Singh reflects on maiden India call-up
What's the story
Punjab Kings opener Prabhsimran Singh has received his first-ever call-up to the Indian cricket team. The news comes after a consistent run with the Mohali-based franchise in the Indian Premier League. He will be part of India's three-match T20I series against Zimbabwe later this month. However, before celebrating with anyone else, Prabhsimran rushed home to share the good news with his father Sardar Surjit Singh, who is battling serious health issues and undergoes regular dialysis.
Emotional response
'Waheguru da shukar hai'
On hearing the news of his son's selection, Prabhsimran's father couldn't contain his emotions. In a conversation with Times of India, Prabhsimran said, "Kaafi time ke baad aaya hai paaji. Hum sab wait kar rahe the. Waheguru da shukar hai [It has come after a long wait, paaji. We had all been waiting for it. Thank God]." Despite his deteriorating health condition, he rarely misses watching his son play a match. The moment was particularly special as Prabhsimran recalled how his father managed to get up on his own after hearing the news of him getting selected for India.
StatementÂ
Prabhsimran's father elated with the call-up
"Papa ki tabiyat aisi hai ki woh khud se uth nahi paate [My father's health is such that he can't even get up on his own]. But when we told him the news, he got up by himself," he further added. "If this happiness can improve his health by even one percent, it would mean the world to me. Woh bas yahi bol rahe the, 'Ab ja raha hai to neeche nahi aana.'"
Career progression
Journey in IPL
Prabhsimran has come a long way since his early IPL years, where he struggled for consistent opportunities. His breakthrough season came in 2023 when he scored 358 runs, including his maiden IPL century. He followed it up with another good season in 2024, scoring 334 runs. However, it was the back-to-back 500-plus seasons in 2025 and 2026 that truly cemented his place as a reliable performer for Punjab Kings.
Player evolution
Transformation over the years
Prabhsimran's game has improved a lot over the years, especially his consistency. He has learned to stay longer at the crease and convert promising starts into match-winning innings. The aggressive opener, who earlier often threw away promising starts, smashed six fifties in IPL 2026 at an average of 42.50 and strike rate of 168.87 with 23 sixes. This transformation came after he realized that surviving at the highest level required much more than explosive starts.
Aspiration
'To play for India'
For Prabhsimran, everything he had worked toward ultimately came down to one goal - representing India. He said, "I have always had just one thing on my mind - to play for India." His journey to the national side was different from many of his age-group teammates. While others broke into the national side earlier, he had to wait longer for his opportunity.
Added duties
The wicketkeeper's role
Prabhsimran's improvement over the last few seasons has not just been about scoring more runs. He has also taken on the demanding role of wicketkeeper across formats. Now a regular wicketkeeper for Punjab Kings, the 25-year-old believes this added responsibility has pushed him to improve his fitness. "Fitness is very important if you want to be consistent," he said, adding that he focused even more on his fitness, batting and wicketkeeping due to these added responsibilities.