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'He has followed Wasim very closely': Kohli's childhood coach pinpoints glaring similarity between Akram and Arshdeep
Arshdeep Singh excelled on a sticky wicket and removed Kyle Mayers with a bouncer in the first T20 on Friday. He then removed all-rounder Akeal Hosein with a searing yorker.
India continued their winning run in West Indies with a comprehensive 68-run victory in the opening fixture of a five-match T20 International series on Friday. India captain Rohit Sharma laid the foundation for his side's competitive total with 64 off 44 balls, while Dinesh Karthik chipped in with a blistering 41 not out towards the end. The Caribbean unit, in response, reached 122 for eight, as India extended their white-ball dominance over the home team. Also Read | 'Don’t see Ashwin playing T20 World Cup. I would want variety...': Former player's bold prediction for India off-spinner
While Rohit and Karthik helped India notch up an imposing total, it was spinners Ashwin and Ravi Bishnoi who thwarted the opposition with regular blows. Both picked up two wickets each. Arshdeep Singh, who last played in the first T20I against England at Southampton, made a successful return to the side with 2/24 in 4 overs. Known for precise yorkers and variations, the left-arm bowler excelled on a sticky wicket and removed Kyle Mayers with a bouncer. He then removed all-rounder Akeal Hosein with a searing yorker.
After seeing Arshdeep's performance, Virat Kohli's childhood coach Rajkumar Sharma pointed out how the Indian hides the ball in his right hand during the run-up – something that legendary bowler Wasim Akram would do while coming in to bowl.
"It seems like Arshdeep Singh has followed Wasim Akram very closely as he holds the ball in his right hand while running to hide it from the batter. It's good to see that he's a thinking cricketer," he told India News.
"He is still very young and has to learn a lot of things. But he is a very promising and a very intelligent cricketer."
Former India player Reetinder Sodhi also heaped praise on Arshdeep and said the young pacer has checked all boxes to show he is ready for international cricket.
"Arshdeep has performed well whenever he's been given the opportunity. While he wasn't a part of the playing XI for the last few games, it seemed like he had been working very hard in the nets. It's never easy to bowl the yorker, especially in T20 cricket. He is definitely ready for international cricket," said Sodhi.
