Young pacer Arshdeep Singh has impressed one and all with his stellar performances for Team India so far. He yet again delivered the match-turning over for Men in Blue in their Super 12 clash against Bangladesh. His immense value has been proved again in the ongoing T20 World Cup in Australia.
This has been a remarkable World Cup for Arshdeep. After all the gross stuff he was made to endure after the second game against arch-rival Pakistan in the Asia Cup is over. With a total of nine scalps in four games, he has evened out with England’s Sam Curran for most wickets in the Super 12.
Whenever India needed him in any crunch encounter, he has delivered. While defending 134 in Perth against South Africa, he grabbed two wickets in his first over to give India a strong chance. If hard lengths worked for him in Adelaide, it was the full length balls that wreaked havoc in Perth. His dexterity with various lengths has been pretty remarkable.
The rookie pacer has made a habit of producing rippers. Babar Azam’s wicket in his first ever World Cup delivery for instance was the perfect left-armer’s incoming delivery to the right-handed batsman. The ball curved away with the angle and then landed on middle stump and swung back to hit his pad.
Arshdeep ensured that India did not miss their premier pacer Jasprit Bumrah as much as they had thought. He has bowled remarkably well both with the new ball and at the death. Following his IPL exploits, it was just a perception that Arshdeep is effective only in death over. However, he has just proved how canny and effective he is with the new ball as well.
With his skill to swing the ball both ways, spear in toe-crushers, bang the helmets, dexterity to bowl in power-play and at death,Arshdeep is arguably the best of his type India had since Ashish Nehra and Zaheer Khan.
In the mega event in Australia, his exploits with the ball has got only better and better. As many as 33 percent of Arshdeep’s wickets at this World Cup have come off short deliveries. The young bowler may not have express pace, but his swing and use of short delivery, make him a dangerous customer with the ball.