Arshdeep keeps it simple, delivers big versus Pakistan

The young left-hander justified his selection over Harshal Patel by rattling Pakistan’s top order, playing a big hand in India’s thrilling opening victory in the T20 World Cup at the MCG.

The trolling was merciless. Brickbats flew thick and fast. But Arshdeep Singh was dignified and calm. On Sunday, he responded in another India-Pakistan match with far higher stakes at one of cricket’s great grounds, in front of 90,263 screaming fans. Data and matchups prompted India to go with Arshdeep’s left-arm pace over Mohammed Shami’s experience while partnering Bhuvneshwar Kumar with the new ball. But data alone can only take you so far. In reality, it’s a really difficult task for a 23-year-old to come and make a dent on the opposition straightaway.

Arshdeep Singh (ANI)

Arshdeep did, and how. Facing him was Babar Azam, Pakistan skipper and a modern batting great in the making. The angles make left-arm pace a difficult proposition for a right-hander because he naturally takes the ball away. But what if the opposite happens? By the time Azam realised Arshdeep’s delivery was swinging into him and cramping him for a wristy shot, he was standing plumb in front of his stumps.

Next wicket was also cleverly planned out. After getting two deliveries to go across the batsman, Arshdeep dug it short and quick and got the ball to hurry onto Mohammed Rizwan, who fancied his chances of hooking it. Instead, he only caught a thick top edge, allowing Bhuvneshwar Kumar to complete an easy catch at deep fine leg. Within four overs, Pakistan’s batting heartbeat had slowed, all thanks to Arshdeep’s presence of mind.

A little bit of strategy went into it as well. India skipper Rohit Sharma later explained how he wanted the bowlers to work on pitching the ball slightly back of the length because it isn’t easy to hit. “A lot of the guys got wickets bowling back of the length because, like I said at the toss as well, there was a little bit of grass on the pitch and a bit of weather, quite nippy, as well,” he said at the post-match press conference.

“So we knew if you keep hitting that length, it's going to be challenging. That is something we kept constantly putting in the bowlers' ears; that challenges them—if they hit you a couple of times there, it’s fine. Actually, we got rewarded bowling that length, as well.

“With the way Bhuvi and Arshdeep were swinging the ball, our initial plan was to just try and pitch it up and see if we can get the ball to swing. The first four or five overs were brilliant to watch, honestly. For a little while it felt like a Test match because of the way the ball was moving around and the carry in the pitch as well.”

Picking Arshdeep over Harshal Patel was a gamble. But the thinking was clear. Rather than defend, India wanted to get early wickets. Hence the left-arm-bowler-right-hand-bat matchup.

“The idea was to bowl straight and get wickets early,” said Arshdeep, who has come up the ranks quickly. “I just wanted to enjoy the moment, I guess it will never come again. So my personal goal is to enjoy my cricket as much as possible. I didn’t work too much on my bowling, just kept it simple. I don’t overthink. As a team we enjoy each other’s success. If someone has a bad day, we stand by him.”