Singh who made his IPL debut playing for PBKS in 2019 has come of age with the IPL turning out to be a phenomenal platform for the seamer.
Arshdeep Singh is great at adjusting. Be it adjusting from white-ball to red-ball cricket or making a shift from speaking in Punjabi to English. The Punjab Kings (PBKS) left-arm seamer is having to seamlessly switch languages very often these days while attending training sessions and then striking conversations with captain Shikhar Dhawan and coach Trevor Byliss ahead of the IPL tie against Delhi Capitals (DC) at the newly-built Punjab Cricket Association stadium in Mullanpur near Mohali.
Arshdeep Singh of Punjab Kings celebrates the dismissal of Shivam Dube (AP)
Both Dhawan and Byliss believe Singh could well be the weapon for PBKS in the IPL given his acumen and accuracy both with the new ball and dishing out swinging yorkers in the death overs.
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An Under-19 World Cup champion, 25-year-old Singh who made his IPL debut playing for PBKS in 2019 has come of age with the IPL turning out to be a phenomenal platform for the seamer. From taking three wickets in three games in his debut season, to playing in all 14 matches and scalping 17 wickets last season, Singh has proven his mettle in the T20 format.
His showing in the IPL paved the way for Singh to make his T20I and ODI debuts. And his success could be attributed to the variations he has in his armory.
Singh’s preparation for serious cricket started in 2018, when he had come back from the India U-19 World Cup triumph. Giving more details, his coach and former Ranji cricketer Jaswant Rai said, “That time the India U-19 seamers Shivam Mavi and Kamlesh Nagarkoti were bowling consistently at 145km per hour and Arshdeep was bowling at 135. So, we worked hard on developing variations and bowling a tight line and length. He has made good progress and IPL has been a boon for him,” Rai said. The 2021 IPL was the best for Singh where he bagged 18 wickets in 12 games.
Even though PBKS have not qualified for the play offs for almost a decade, this upcoming season could be different. With a seam heavy attack led by South Africa’s Kagiso Rabada and the left-arm pace duo of Singh and England’s Sam Curran along with new recruit Harshal Patel, PBKS could strike success this season. “Arshdeep has prepared very extensively bowling slow yorkers in the death overs. And how after being hit for a four or a six, make a comeback in the next delivery. T20 cricket is tricky and needs a thinking bowler,” said Rai.
