Arshdeep Singh wreaked absolute havoc last night where he ran riots against the mighty Proteas, conjuring pace and swing, most importantly he managed to move the ball both ways, a rare feat that is eludes most of the bowlers. Ever since Zak stepped down from the pedestal, India produced very few left arm seamers.
Even if they did, the quality wasn’t great and they struggled to get their wheels rolling. However, ever since the world laid their eyes on Arshdeep, they knew there was a promise on the horizon. With every passing day, this promise is bearing fruit.
Last night, when India took on South Africa in the curtain raiser at the Greenfield International Stadium, the visitors had half of their side back to the pavilion in less than 15 balls and 10 runs on the cards. The man who played the chief architect for such a crazy feat was none other than the Punjab quick, Arshdeep Singh.
What exactly makes Arshdeep such a lethal customer when it comes to bowling on surfaces that has a few demons of its own? Well, demons or not, until now, we were only aware of two primary weapons of the Indian fast bowler. The first was brutal pace where he steamed in at 140 plus clicks pretty frequently while the other was those perfectly executed toe-crushing yorkers.
However, last night, he produced some crazy swing and it wasn’t one side of the track but it travelled both ways. One that claimed de Kock and Rossouw while the other that drifted back in to remove David Miller. With so much upheaval, the visitors were desperate to get some breath but Arshdeep had no intentions of laxing himself.
What exactly is the promise of him being the nightmare to the batters in the upcoming days? The answer is very simple. His relentless tenacity to hit the same line and length repeatedly. If you follow Arshdeep very closely, he attacks the good length area almost in 4 out 6 deliveries in an over.
Now add to that the pace factor and what we saw last night, where he was moving the ball left, right and center. The very fact of landing a ball in the good length area makes the batters uncomfortable. Now imagine the ball getting a late wobble at 145 plus clicks. The wicket of Miller deserves a special mention where he kissed the paradise for the fast bowlers, the bail of the middle-stump.
As a left-arm quick, he also varies his angles pretty often, that makes life a lot more difficult for the ones in the center. Ideally, southpaws who are pacers already create a very unorthodox angle for the batters and with such menacing swing and pace, with such clinical line and length, Arshdeep can be the next big thing that Team India is already looking forward to.
