CHANDIGARH: ‘And a character like me won’t lose hope in tough times,’ reads the last stanza of a poem penned by Arshdeep Singh, the pace sensation from Punjab who has earned his maiden call-up to the national team on the back of yet another stellar show for the Punjab Kings in the Indian Premier League.
Despite being under the shadows of the likes of Mohammed Shami and then South African Kagiso Rabada in the ongoing season, the left-armer has made a mark for himself as a death-over specialist over the past couple of seasons for the Punjab franchise, to finally find himself in the 18-member India squad for the upcoming five-match T20I series against South Africa, next month.
The 10 wickets from 14 games in IPL 2022 may not reveal his true potential, but Arshdeep’s death-overs economy rate of 7.58 is only behind Jasprit Bumrah (7.38) for bowlers with at least eight overs this season.
The 23-year-old left-armer has earned the tag of being the ‘leader of the bowling group’ from his Punjab Kings captain Mayank Agarwal while Rabada has called him the ‘best death over bowler in the competition’.
Not the one to be flattered by the tags, Arshdeep knows that those are short-lived and only consistent performances will help him leave a mark.
“It feels good to be praised but I just want to maintain my consistency, as that will leave a long term impact. With dedication and hard work, you can achieve everything, no matter how challenging the circumstances are,” Arshdeep said during his visit to his alma-mater, Guru Nanak Public School, at Sector 36.
“Whether I play or not, it is a team game. The team has to win. My focus is on giving my 100 percent before I go off to sleep everyday,” he adds.
Mastering the T20 format
Arshdeep, who likes to take a break from the game by penning a few poems on his struggles, feels T20 cricket is more of mind games. After starting the IPL 2022 season on a forgettable note with five wides, the Mohali boy bounced back in time to outsmart most of the prolific hitters in world cricket.
“Strategy and planning made in the dressing room at times fail when the batter is on song. But then you have to have a Plan B and C, and here adaptability is the key. Even if I get hit for a couple of sixes or fours in my first few deliveries, I back my instincts and allow the batters to be complacent and make a mistake, before pouncing on to the advantage,” he explains.
“On occasions you succeed but sometimes your plans backfire and you look stupid, but that’s part and parcel of the game,” he said with a smile.
On his India selection, Arshdeep, who was picked as a net bowler for the national team during a tour in Sri Lanka, reacts with a one-liner, “It will take some time to sink in.”
Early struggles
Arshdeep has come a long way from the 2018 U-19 World Cup in New Zealand, where India won. He got a chance to feature in only a couple of matches as a replacement for his now-Punjab Kings teammate Ishan Porel. While most of his teammates like Prithvi Shaw, Shubman Gill and Abhishek Sharma were selected for the Ranji Trophy, the left-armer was named in the U-23 side for the Col CK Nayudu Trophy.
Arshdeep, by his own admission, had said he wasn’t ready for the big leap to the Ranji side, and wanted to take one step at a time. And he was right, the left-armer picked 46 wickets from 10 matches to help Punjab lift the trophy.
On Wednesday, when Arshdeep dropped at the cricket academy at SD Senior School, Sector 24, he fondly recollected the days when he would paddle for 15 kms twice a day from his house in Kharar braving all odds. Under coach Jaswant Rai, Arshdeep had spent nearly a decade, and the former Himachal Ranji spinner remembers his ward as a ‘dedicated fast learner’.
“Arshdeep has been with me since he was a 13-year-old. When he joined the academy, it was his high-arm action and his ability to inswing the ball that made me realize that he had the potential to make it big. He didn’t have express speed but the focus was more on accuracy and wicket to wicket bowling,” Rai recalled.
“I remember another instance when he walked down all the way from his home after his cycle had broken down. After the session when he shared his ordeal, I was amazed by his passion and commitment for the game, and knew this boy will earn the India jersey one day,” Rai shared.
Born to a security officer Darshan Singh and Baljeet Kaur, a housewife, Arshdeep’s story could also have been one of those Punjab youth with ‘Canadian’ dreams had his brother Akashdeep (also a cricketer), not stepped in at that time.
“Akashdeep decided to leave the sport and move to Brampton in Canada to pursue his studies and would support himself doing odd jobs. He would send a part of his earnings back home, and this helped us to support Arshdeep’s dreams of continuing with the sport. Had it not been Akashdeep’s support, it would have been difficult for us to manage financially,” the senior Singh said.
“The India call-up is just a stepping stone, what Arshdeep must now focus on is to remain consistent and keep raising the bar. There is so much competition for each spot and rightfully so only the best can survive,” he added.
Despite being under the shadows of the likes of Mohammed Shami and then South African Kagiso Rabada in the ongoing season, the left-armer has made a mark for himself as a death-over specialist over the past couple of seasons for the Punjab franchise, to finally find himself in the 18-member India squad for the upcoming five-match T20I series against South Africa, next month.
The 10 wickets from 14 games in IPL 2022 may not reveal his true potential, but Arshdeep’s death-overs economy rate of 7.58 is only behind Jasprit Bumrah (7.38) for bowlers with at least eight overs this season.
The 23-year-old left-armer has earned the tag of being the ‘leader of the bowling group’ from his Punjab Kings captain Mayank Agarwal while Rabada has called him the ‘best death over bowler in the competition’.
Not the one to be flattered by the tags, Arshdeep knows that those are short-lived and only consistent performances will help him leave a mark.
“It feels good to be praised but I just want to maintain my consistency, as that will leave a long term impact. With dedication and hard work, you can achieve everything, no matter how challenging the circumstances are,” Arshdeep said during his visit to his alma-mater, Guru Nanak Public School, at Sector 36.
“Whether I play or not, it is a team game. The team has to win. My focus is on giving my 100 percent before I go off to sleep everyday,” he adds.
Mastering the T20 format
Arshdeep, who likes to take a break from the game by penning a few poems on his struggles, feels T20 cricket is more of mind games. After starting the IPL 2022 season on a forgettable note with five wides, the Mohali boy bounced back in time to outsmart most of the prolific hitters in world cricket.
“Strategy and planning made in the dressing room at times fail when the batter is on song. But then you have to have a Plan B and C, and here adaptability is the key. Even if I get hit for a couple of sixes or fours in my first few deliveries, I back my instincts and allow the batters to be complacent and make a mistake, before pouncing on to the advantage,” he explains.
“On occasions you succeed but sometimes your plans backfire and you look stupid, but that’s part and parcel of the game,” he said with a smile.
On his India selection, Arshdeep, who was picked as a net bowler for the national team during a tour in Sri Lanka, reacts with a one-liner, “It will take some time to sink in.”
Early struggles
Arshdeep has come a long way from the 2018 U-19 World Cup in New Zealand, where India won. He got a chance to feature in only a couple of matches as a replacement for his now-Punjab Kings teammate Ishan Porel. While most of his teammates like Prithvi Shaw, Shubman Gill and Abhishek Sharma were selected for the Ranji Trophy, the left-armer was named in the U-23 side for the Col CK Nayudu Trophy.
Arshdeep, by his own admission, had said he wasn’t ready for the big leap to the Ranji side, and wanted to take one step at a time. And he was right, the left-armer picked 46 wickets from 10 matches to help Punjab lift the trophy.
On Wednesday, when Arshdeep dropped at the cricket academy at SD Senior School, Sector 24, he fondly recollected the days when he would paddle for 15 kms twice a day from his house in Kharar braving all odds. Under coach Jaswant Rai, Arshdeep had spent nearly a decade, and the former Himachal Ranji spinner remembers his ward as a ‘dedicated fast learner’.
“Arshdeep has been with me since he was a 13-year-old. When he joined the academy, it was his high-arm action and his ability to inswing the ball that made me realize that he had the potential to make it big. He didn’t have express speed but the focus was more on accuracy and wicket to wicket bowling,” Rai recalled.
“I remember another instance when he walked down all the way from his home after his cycle had broken down. After the session when he shared his ordeal, I was amazed by his passion and commitment for the game, and knew this boy will earn the India jersey one day,” Rai shared.
Born to a security officer Darshan Singh and Baljeet Kaur, a housewife, Arshdeep’s story could also have been one of those Punjab youth with ‘Canadian’ dreams had his brother Akashdeep (also a cricketer), not stepped in at that time.
“Akashdeep decided to leave the sport and move to Brampton in Canada to pursue his studies and would support himself doing odd jobs. He would send a part of his earnings back home, and this helped us to support Arshdeep’s dreams of continuing with the sport. Had it not been Akashdeep’s support, it would have been difficult for us to manage financially,” the senior Singh said.
“The India call-up is just a stepping stone, what Arshdeep must now focus on is to remain consistent and keep raising the bar. There is so much competition for each spot and rightfully so only the best can survive,” he added.
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