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It has been pretty much a walk in the park for India so far. Despite T20Is being their strongest format, Afghanistan haven’t quite been able to challenge India in the first-ever white-ball series between the two teams. India won the first T20I in Mohali by six wickets and 15 balls to spare. In the next, they chased down 173 in just 15.4 overs. Shivam Dube has been leading the way with the bat. The all-rounder smashed back-to-back half-centuries. Yashasvi Jaiswal played a sublime knock in Indore. Among bowlers, Axar Patel and Arshdeep Singh have been the most impressive. As India gear up for the third and final T20I against Afghanistan in Bengaluru on Wednesday, will there be any changes in their approach?
Arshdeep said even though India have already bagged the series 2-0, it won’t stop him and the team to continue seeking improvement.
“Mindset as a team doesn’t work on what the series scoreline and what happened in the last matches. The main motive is to get used to the ground, and adapt quickly. We can look at improving and developing match skills,” he told reporters on the eve of the final T20I.
The Bengaluru T20I will be India’s last before the T20 World Cup in June this year as all their top players will get busy with the IPL. It is very difficult to finalise any sort of combination five months prior to a tournament but Arshdeep is someone who will definitely be in Rohit Sharma and Rahul Dravid’s plans for the world event in the USA and West Indies.
Mixed bag journey of Arshdeep Singh
The 24-year-old took four wickets from as many matches against the Aussies last year, but in each of those matches, he conceded 41, 46, 44 and 40 runs in four overs.
But against South Africa and Afghanistan, the left-arm pacer had relatively better outings – four wickets across four matches at an acceptable overall economy of eight.
Those performances offered a microcosm of Arshdeep’s efforts from January 5, 2023 to January 14, 2024 as his economy oscillated between 7.5 and above 10.
The Punjab man accepted that his journey was a mixed bag during the above-mentioned period.
“The last 12 months have been a mixed bag (of experience). There were a few good performances and I got to learn something new. There were a few ups and downs as well, making my performances neutral,” Arshdeep said during the pre-match press meet on Tuesday.
The pacer said experience of bowling with the new ball in the absence of senior pros like Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammad Siraj has helped him develop as a bowler.
“Specifically, I recently started (bowling) with new ball, especially on slow wickets. In the last match, I tried a few variations, especially against left-handers, and it worked and it gave me some confidence. Otherwise, I am trying to sharpen my skills,” he added.
Arshdeep said the role clarity within the team has helped him to gain in experience even when he was struggling a bit with the ball.
“Players’ roles are defined. As a bowler, you know, you have to bowl at the start and middle overs. When there is clarity, you come up with good performances,” he added.
The Chinnaswamy often tests the skills and endurance of a bowler with its flat deck and short boundaries, but Arshdeep saw it as an advantage.
“We feel there is nothing to lose here. Batsmen are under pressure because of the feeling that they have to score more boundaries and that is where as a bowler you are in the game. You can get more wickets.”
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