"I did a lot of single-wicket practice" - Arshdeep Singh on secret to his consistent and improved performances
Punjab Kings (PBKS) seamer Arshdeep Singh opened up on his consistent IPL performances, leading to a national call-up. The left-arm seamer highlighted that repetitions combined with relentlessness made the difference.
Singh, who made his IPL debut in 2019, has emerged as one of the brightest talents since the 2020 edition. The 23-year old had one of the best economy rates of 7.70 in the recently-concluded season despite taking only 10 wickets at 38.50.
Speaking to ESPNCricinfo, the youngster highlighted that single-wicket practice drills and repetitions, preferably bowling length balls and yorkers, were significant in his improvement. Singh said:
"I did a lot of single-wicket practice. Lots of repetitions of length ball and yorker. After doing it so many times in practice, you start understanding where your ball will land if you run at this particular speed with this particular angle.. I guess with all those repetitions, you start getting that feeling and that makes a lot of difference."
A proud family after Arshdeep Singh received his first senior India call-up 💙 https://t.co/TZHvm5L4Kd
The left-arm pacer's best IPL season came in 2021 when he returned with 18 scalps in 12 games, including a fifer. However, his franchise Punjab Kings haven't been able to get close to winning an IPL title.
"I feel I am a lot more consistent now" - Arshdeep Singh
The Madhya Pradesh-born player admitted that he doesn't bowl release deliveries now, unlike before and has worked on hitting good areas consistently. He also vowed to get better with time.
Arshdeep Singh elaborated:
"I feel I am a lot more consistent now. Earlier I used to bowl loose balls in between. Now I have worked on that a lot so that I don't give the batter that release ball. All the batters who come to play in the IPL are quite experienced. They are aware and are good enough to hit you for a boundary whenever they get a bad ball."
He added:
"That's one thing I have worked on a lot, that I consistently bowl in good areas with a good plan. In the coming days, the focus will be on how to improve it further."
🏼Big congratulations to Umran Malik and Arshdeep Singh on getting into @BCCI squad for the series versus South Africa👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼.
When asked about his plans on improving his bowling speed, Arshdeep highlighted that his primary aim is to hit the right lines and lengths.
"Right now, I am trying to focus on consistency. The main thing is how consistent I am in hitting those lines and lengths, and in executing my plans."
Arshdeep Singh is amongst the two uncapped players chosen by India for the upcoming T20 series against South Africa, which starts on June 9 in Delhi. It remains to be seen at what stage the youngster gets an opportunity to showcase his talent at the international stage.