Arshdeep Singh worked on advice given by his former Punjab Kings teammate and India fast bowler Mohammed Shami to become a much-improved fast bowler.
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Arshdeep Singh has looked like one of the much-improved fast bowlers in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022. He has almost looked nerveless with his economical display at the death which has made him a regular in the Punjab Kings’ line-up and his captain Mayank Agarwal’s delight. But Arshdeep’s is not an overnight story. He had laid the foundation to bring out the best in him as early as 2017 while striking a conversation with his father.
It is almost a household story in every Punjabi household to move to Canada for better living and opportunity after a certain period of time. And it was no different for Arshdeep Singh. “It’s like a joke in Punjab. They don’t ask you what you want to do after Class XII. They just ask, ‘When are you going to Canada to settle?’ We all go there to make a life, get a job, earn money. I was also about to go. And then my life changed,” Arshdeep told espn cricinfo.
The left-arm fast bowler gathered confidence to ask his father to give him a year to make the most of his cricketing dreams, rather following the footsteps of his older sibling and move to Brampton, Canada. And the decision worked wonders for him as he made way to the Punjab U-19 squad and was subsequently picked up for the India’s Under-19 World Cup-winning squad of 2018 which made his case stronger.
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The Covid-19 enforced lockdown period saw Arshdeep spending time with his father, who was a former cricketer and a retired officer of the Central Industry Security Force (CISF), for training at their small gym at home. And later, once the IPL 2020 season was confirmed, Arshdeep found himself in the company of premier India fast bowler Mohammed Shami in the Punjab Kings camp.
“Shami bhai is a world-class bowler, and has a lot of experience that he is willing to pass on to the youngsters,” Arshdeep said. “Things like ‘How do you think when you’re under the pump?’ He told me my skill sets are good. He stressed on the need to back yourself under pressure and be mentally strong. He wanted me to work on my seam position, which he felt I could improve.
He, also, worked on his mindset. “Yes. When I am bowling to a big player, I try to remain calm, remain blank. I don’t think of too many things. At the meeting, plans are discussed for different batsmen, so I try to follow that. It also depends on how the wicket is behaving. It’s a one-on-one battle, a coach or captain can’t do much, so I have to give them the confidence that I can do it.
“If I don’t have that confidence in myself, then I’m not giving out good vibes for the team. So for me, however big the batsman was, my focus was on just getting my execution right. And if it didn’t come off, I wanted to ensure the next time I am in that position, I don’t repeat the same mistakes. You can’t be harsh on yourself, but you have to quickly learn.”
The hard-work continues to pay dividends for Arshdeep in the IPL 2022. So much so, that he was seen giving tips to premier South Africa fast bowler Kagiso Rabada. He, however, wants to keep going ahead and become a successful red-ball cricketer. “I want to be successful in red-ball cricket, and take Punjab to the Ranji Trophy knockouts first,” he says. “I don’t know when we last even won, so I want to be part of history. Take them to the knockouts and once there, maybe even a Ranji title. In white-ball cricket, I want to be consistent and be a dependable bowler.”
