3 reasons why Arshdeep Singh is a serious contender for a T20 World Cup spot

Young Team India left-arm seamer Arshdeep Singh has made an impactful start to his T20I career. He made an impressive debut against England in Southampton, returning with figures of two for 18 in 3.3 overs, including a maiden. He could not play the remaining games of the series as he was part of the squad for only one match.

The 23-year-old was picked in the playing XI for the first T20I against West Indies in Tarouba, Trinidad. Arshdeep once again came out of the clash with his reputation enhanced. He picked up two wickets and gave away only 24 runs in his four overs, thus strangling the opposition.

With an eye on the T20 World Cup, combined with the fact that a number of seniors are being rested frequently, the Indian team management has been giving opportunities to several young guns to showcase their talents.

When it comes to fast bowling, Team India are spoilt for choice with the likes of Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Harshal Patel, Deepak Chahar, Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna. However, we analyze three reasons why Arshdeep has emerged as a serious contender for a place in the T20 World Cup squad.

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#1 Arshdeep can bowl well at the start and the death

The 23-year-old pacer has made an impressive start to his T20I career. Pic: Getty Images

The seamer is among the rare breed of bowlers who are adept at bowling both at the start and at the death. We have seen this constantly over the last two seasons for the Punjab Kings (PBKS) in the IPL. Arshdeep has been the go-to bowler for the captain in the tournament.

Although he has played only two games for India, this quality of his has already come to the fore. He completely rattled Jason Roy with his first over in international cricket, which was a maiden. He got the ball to swing both ways and the England opener failed to get bat on the ball. The seamer returned at the death to claim two wickets and finish England’s innings.

In the first T20I of the ongoing series against West Indies, he again kept the batters under check. He bowled a brilliant slower bouncer to get rid of Windies opener Kyle Mayers and came back at the end to clean up Akeal Hosein with a yorker. The sample size is very small, but the pacer clearly possesses the attributes to succeed on the big stage.

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#2 He has maturity beyond his age

The left-arm seamer reacts after dismissing Kyle Mayers. Pic: Fancode

One thing that has stood out about Arshdeep in his IPL career, and even the two matches that he has played for India, has been his maturity. He hardly expresses any emotion when batters take the attack to him. This is because he is silently confident of making a comeback.

The youngster was involved in an engrossing tussle with Mayers during the first T20I of the ongoing series. The Windies batter smacked him for a six off the first ball he bowled in the match and followed it up with a boundary in the same over. However, Arshdeep completely outfoxed him with an off-pace bouncer outside off that Mayers could only top-edge for a simple catch.

More than the dismissal, it was the stare that the bowler gave Mayers that stood out. It was almost an indication that Arshdeep knew how he could win the battle. These little but significant instances determine the character of a player, especially under pressure situations. The Punjab pacer has shown in his short career that he is not one to back away from a contest.

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#3 His inclusion will bring much-needed variety into the Indian attack

Arshdeep Singh poses with his debut cap.

There was a time when Team India were blessed with left-arm seamers, with the likes of Zaheer Khan, Ashish Nehra and, briefly, RP Singh on the scene. However, that hasn’t been the case in recent years. The Men in Blue have produced quality pacers like Bhuvneshwar, Bumrah and Mohammad Shami, with Siraj also entering the picture in recent years.

Speaking specifically about white ball cricket, Harshal Patel, Deepak Chahar and Prasidh Krishna have impressed in recent times. However, all strong international sides have at least one good left-arm seamer. Australia have Mitchell Starc and New Zealand have Trent Boult, while Pakistan have Shaheen Shah Afridi.

Arshdeep may not be in the same league as the above-mentioned names, but he has done enough to prove that he can make a genuine impact. Having a left-arm seamer in the attack can definitely bring some much-needed variety to the Indian attack.

Including Arshdeep in the T20 World Cup squad won’t be an easy decision, considering there are a number of pacers above him in the pecking order. However, there are enough reasons for his inclusion to be given serious consideration.

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