IND vs SA Live Update: Irfan Pathan believes that Team India should include Arshdeep Singh in their playing XI for all five of the Twenty20 Internationals that are scheduled to take place against South Africa soon. This is because Arshdeep Singh is capable of bowling death overs.
As a result of his outstanding performance for the Punjab Kings (PBKS) in IPL 2022, Arshdeep was selected to be a part of the 18-man Indian team that will compete in the Twenty20 International series commencing on June 9. Even though the 23-year-old only took 10 wickets in 14 games, he was fairly frugal. This is impressive, taking into account that he was utilized almost exclusively in the last overs.
IND vs SA Live Update: What did Irfan Pathan say about Arshdeep Singh?
Irfan Pathan praised the great death bowling shown by Singh in the Indian Premier League 2022 when he appeared on the Star Sports program Game Plan. Pathan elaborated on his praise as follows:
“Even though the number of wickets he has taken in IPL contests is lower than the number of matches played, the selectors nevertheless decided to put their faith in him and include him in the team. There is a good explanation for it. He can keep the most dangerous batters quiet. For example, when he bowls towards the end of the game, he can keep Dhoni and Hardik Pandya quiet. He delivers consistent yorkers against the set batsmen.”
Pathan feels Arshdeep should be given more playing time in the Twenty20 International series against the Proteas. Pathan stated:
“You reasoned that the left is usually right. Thus it made sense to have a left-arm bowler on your team. Play him in every game, since he is a bowler who steps up for his side whenever there is a challenging circumstance, that he will bowl yorkers and attempt to take up wickets. He will do so anytime there is a tough situation.”
There have been five Indian pacers selected for the Twenty20 series against the Proteas, and Arshdeep Singh is one of them. Although the fact that he is the only left-handed pacer on the team might potentially work to his benefit, it will be fascinating to see how many games he gets.
“The advantage of Arshdeep Singh is that he is well aware of the game he is playing,” – Ravi Shastri
During the same conversation, Ravi Shastri lauded Arshdeep for his attentiveness to the game during the death overs, stating the following:
“The wonderful thing about Arshdeep Singh is that he understands his game. He knows what he needs to do in those slog overs, and that’s one of the reasons he has made it to the squad because India is searching for death bowlers.”
The former head coach of India believes that the selectors want to evaluate whether the left-arm bowler can serve as a backup for Bhuvneshwar Kumar in India’s Twenty20 International team. What Shastri noticed was:
“There is Bhuvneshwar Kumar, but if he were to be injured, who would take his place? Therefore, they wanted to find someone early on. It was a really smart decision to select for the series so that they can see how he performs at the international level.”
Shastri also said that players such as Arshdeep and Umran Malik do not need to change their strategies to be successful in the Twenty20 International series against South Africa. He went on to say that all they needed to do was become more proficient at what they had already been doing.
