3 reasons why Arshdeep Singh could be India's X-factor at T20 World Cup 2024
Does Arshdeep Singh possess the quality to replicate the success of the former left-arm pacers, Irfan Pathan, Zaheer Khan, and Ashish Nehra in the international circuit? This question looms large as India begin their quest to end their ICC trophy drought in the T20 World Cup 2024 in the USA and West Indies.
As the Men in Blue prepare to take on Ireland in their first fixture on June 5 in New York, they will hope to get off to a winning start in the showpiece event. Arshdeep, who took 2/12 off three overs against Bangladesh in the warm-up game, will be a key player for Rohit Sharma and company.
Let's take a look at why Arshdeep Singh could be India's X-factor for the T20 World Cup 2024.
#1 Arshdeep Singh was India's top bowler in T20 World Cup 2022
The left-arm pacer was India's best bowler with 10 wickets in six games of the T20 World Cup 2022 in Australia. Although Arshdeep, couldn't do enough in India's semi-final loss to England, his performance helped the team reach the knockouts.
Arshdeep's finest performance of 3/32 came in a high-octane clash against Pakistan in Melbourne. In his very first ball of the game, the young sensation trapped skipper Babar Azam and sent him back to the hut for a golden duck.
With assistance from the pitch and weather, Arshdeep got the ball moving and bowled well in the corridor of uncertainty. The perfectly accurate bouncer from the left-arm pacer in the fourth over saw Mohammad Rizwan hole out to Bhuvneshwar Kumar in the deep fine-leg region.
The excess pace of Arshdeep hurried Asif Ali in the 17th over, who gave a simple catch to Dinesh Karthik. As a result, Pakistan could post only 159, and the Indian team secured a thrilling victory, courtesy of Virat Kohli (82*).
In this game, along with figures of 2/25 against South Africa, Arshdeep Singh gave an account of his skills to swing the ball both ways, deliver accurate bouncers, and nail perfect yorkers.
#2 Highest wicket-taker for the Punjab Kings since IPL 2019
Since making his debut for the Punjab Kings in 2019, Arshdeep Singh has picked the most wickets for the franchise in the Indian Premier League (IPL). He has 76 scalps in 65 games at an economy of 9.02. After emerging as the franchise's second-highest wicket-taker with 18 dismissals, he was retained by the Kings for the 2022 season.
Arshdeep repaid the franchise's faith by finishing as the best bowler of the side with 17 wickets in 2023. The best performance came against the Mumbai Indians when he defended 15 runs off the final over and finished with figures of 4/29.
After conceding only a single run off the first two balls, Arshdeep Singh nailed perfect yorkers to break the stumps of Tilak Varma and Nehal Wadhera. As a result, the Kings won by 13 runs.
In the 2024 season, Arshdeep finished with 19 wickets in 14 games and is in good form of late. So, the left-arm pacer will look to continue the same consistency in securing breakthroughs in the showpiece event as well.
#3 Gun performer in crunch moments
With experience in containing the wrath of batters in a toughly contested IPL, Arshdeep Singh knows a thing or two about defending runs in the final over.
On December 3, 2023, Australia clashed against India in Bengaluru. Shreyas Iyer (53*) top-scored for India, as they posted 160 on the board.
In the 15th over, Arshdeep took an important wicket of Ben McDermott (54), who was going all guns blazing. Although he proved to be expensive in the first three overs, conceding 37 runs, the wicket of a key player meant skipper Suryakumar Yadav trusted him to defend 10 runs off the final over.
In the first ball, Arshdeep delivered a terrific bouncer to Matthew Wade, which yielded no run. Certainly, the veteran batter was expecting a yorker and was stunned by the pacer's delivery.
The 25-year-old bowled a perfect yorker for another dot, which piled on the pressure. In the next delivery, Wade succumbed to pressure and holed out to a long-on fielder, while trying to dispatch a half-volley.
Then, the following three balls saw Arshdeep following a strategy of keeping it straight in the stumps. The tactic certainly helped India, as they secured a six-run victory.
In this game, Arshdeep Singh displayed his ability to make a riveting comeback after getting setbacks in his opening spell. He certainly proved to be a handy customer to hold the nerves in crunch moments. A similar performance is expected from the pacer when he encounters dangerous batters in this year's T20 World Cup.