Goa, Nov. 1 -- Prince Yadav's journey from playing tennis-ball cricket on dusty grounds in Delhi's outskirts to becoming one of India's trusted death-over bowlers is a story of pace, persistence and precision. The 24-year-old fast bowler from Najafgarh has carried the lessons of his early cricketing days into international cricket, making his yorkers a formidable weapon in the shortest format.

Yadav credits tennis-ball cricket for developing the arm speed that has become central to his bowling. Unlike conventional cricket balls, tennis and tape balls offer little movement in the air or off the surface, forcing bowlers to depend on pace and accurate yorkers to trouble batters.

He also trained with wet tennis balls, which became heavier d...