New Delhi: On Sunday evening, the Singh household in Patiala was glued to the television set watching their son Prabhsimran Singh's belligerent stroke-play, which
guided Punjab Kings (PBKS) past Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) by 37 runs, and put them on the second spot on the Indian Premier League (IPL) points table and a step away from a guaranteed playoff spot.
It has been a bittersweet few weeks for the Singhs. While
Prabhsimran is scoring heaps of runs for the PBKS -- 437 runs in 11 innings at a strike rate of 170 -- his father Sardar Surjit Singh is on dialysis as both of his kidneys are failing.
Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!The morning after, Surjit asked his elder brother Satwinderpal Singh whether Simmu (Prabhsimran's nickname) had won the Player of the Match award or not. "The only time he smiles these days is when he sees Prabhsimran bat in the IPL," Satwinderpal Singh told TimesofIndia.com from Patiala.
"He is going through dialysis thrice a week. As an elder brother I can't see the pain he is enduring. I have to step out of the house when the doctors come home for the dialysis. Not a day has gone by that I have not prayed that it should not be my younger brother," said Satwinderpal Singh, who has trained Prabhsimran along with his own sons Anmolpreet Singh and Tejpreet Singh.
Satwinderpal doesn't know how long his younger brother will survive, but he has found a way to put a smile on Surjit's face.
"Before every Punjab Kings match, I carry him to the living room. We watch the match together, and every time the camera is on Simmu, he smiles. If Simmu scores, he keeps on smiling and laughing. In those moments, he forgets the pain he is in. If Simmu plays a rash shot, he shouts, 'khotte aaram naal khel (play sensibly).'"
"Simmu video called on Monday morning to take an update about Surjit. And my brother gave him back by saying why he threw away his wicket after getting so close to the hundred," said Satwinderpal with a laugh.
"While shouting at Simmu, he gasps for breath. Every time I have to intervene and tell him to praise the kid, because he is playing so well."
Since the start of the season, there has been a lot of talk about the sense of maturity in Prabhsimran Singh's batting. He has looked composed with steely resolve and is not ready to throw away his wicket after a flashy cameo.
Before heading for the Punjab Kings camp,
he had promised his elder brother Anmolpreet that he would score two centuries this season. He had made the same promise to his father, his uncle, and Ricky Ponting as well. The promise is still unfulfilled, but his onslaught has provided a breath of fresh air to PBKS, who had shown faith in him for the last six seasons, and they are finally reaping the rewards.
"I think you're starting to see why I was so keen to retain Prabhsimran. He's a very, very good young player, and he's very keen to bring success to this team, and that showed with the way that he played tonight," Ponting told reporters after the match in Dharamsala.
"I sort of challenged him in the team meeting to go on and get a 100 in this match, and unfortunately, Prabh fell just a little bit short of that," he added.
After scoring a whirlwind 91,
Prabhsimran has joined the elite list of KL Rahul and Chris Gayle by scoring three consecutive half-centuries for Punjab Kings in the IPL.
"I had a lot of confidence from my last innings. I got a chance early on and I was able to capitalise. I’m playing the ball on its merit, and I want to thank the management as well for backing me. I felt I could take a bit of time after the powerplay. When you get set, when you have already scored 30-35, you need to convert it into something big," he told the broadcasters during the mid-inning break.
Prabhsimran with the bat is not only helping Punjab Kings qualify for the playoffs for the first time in a decade but also adding more days to his ailing father's life.
"Every time Simmu does well, I think it adds a few days to Surjit's life," said Satwinderpal, who wants his ward to help Punjab win the IPL trophy.