India fast bowler Yash Thakur has credited head coach Gautam Gambhir with shaping his mindset ahead of his maiden international assignment, revealing that guidance received during their time together at Lucknow Super Giants remains his anchor as he embarks on India's ongoing T20I tour of Zimbabwe. Thakur also recounted the unexpected, emotionally charged moment he discovered his national selection — not through an official call, but through a flood of messages on his phone.

Gambhir's Words That Stuck

Thakur recalled that Gambhir had offered him a clear directive when they first worked together at the Lucknow Super Giants: resist the urge to reinvent himself as the level of competition rose. 'When I was with Lucknow Super Giants and met Gambhir bhai, I had great interactions with him from day one. He told me back then, ‘You have done well in domestic cricket. You know how to pick up wickets, and you know how to win games, so never change that mindset. The level of cricket will keep changing, from domestic to IPL to international, but don’t change yourself or your core strengths. Stick to what got you here. Trust your skills and your process,’' Thakur said in an interview with JioStar.

The right-arm seamer added that those words have become a mental reset button under pressure. 'I still follow that advice to this day. Whenever I feel pressure, I remind myself of his words. It has helped me stay grounded and focused on my game,' he said.

How He Found Out About His India Selection

Thakur's discovery of his maiden India call-up was as unscripted as it was memorable. He was at Nagpur airport, collecting luggage alongside fellow cricketer Harsh Dubey, when his phone began buzzing with congratulatory messages. 'Harsh Dubey and I had just landed in Nagpur. As I was collecting my luggage and heading out, my phone started buzzing with messages, and I got a call from my friends. They told me, ‘You got selected!’ and congratulated me. I didn’t know anything about it at that moment, so I checked online and realised I had been selected for the Zimbabwe tour. It was a surreal feeling,' he recalled.

A Career Built Step by Step

Thakur's path to the Indian team has been methodical — Under-19 cricket, the Ranji Trophy, the Duleep Trophy, the IPL, and India A before the national call finally came. He described the progression as both a grind and a source of pride. 'I've progressed step by step, from Under-19 cricket, through the Ranji Trophy, Duleep Trophy, IPL, India A, and now into the Indian team. Each level brought its own challenges, and I worked hard to clear every hurdle. Climbing every single step makes me feel very happy,' he said.

On what it means to finally wear the India jersey, Thakur was candid about the difficulty of articulating the emotion. 'I can’t quite express the feeling right now, because playing for the country is everyone’s dream when they start playing cricket. To finally be here, wearing the India jersey, feels like all the hard work has paid off,' he stated.

What to Watch

Thakur's arrival in the T20I squad adds pace depth to an Indian side looking to blood new talent on the Zimbabwe tour. How he translates domestic and IPL form into international wickets will be the first real measure of whether Gambhir's advice — and Thakur's own process — holds up at the highest level.