Australian pace bowling legend Brett Lee lauded India’s Arshdeep Singh and called him the "new favorite left-arm pacer from India". The left-arm fast bowler from Punjab made his India debut on the tour of England and then played in the T20 World Cup 2022.
Despite India’s heart-breaking exit from the T20 World Cup after a 10-wicket loss in the semi-finals to England, Arshdeep Singh made quite an impact in the tournament. He began by taking a wicket off his very first ball in T20 World Cups, trapping Babar Azam LBW in the match against Pakistan at MCG.
In all, he picked 10 wickets in the T20 World Cup as India had made it into the semis, losing only to South Africa in the Super 12s phase.
In the absence of Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep completely justified his role and perfectly filled in the shoes of the senior pacer. He bowled well in the death overs and swung the ball at the start of the innings as well.
"We go back to only a few months ago when Jasprit Bumrah was ruled out of this T20 World Cup. Everyone thought huge shoes to fill, definitely true, he is a superstar of the game with his world-class yorkers. He is a three-format bowler, he bowls well at the death. But in cricket, as we know, one man's absence is another man's opportunity to shine. And this young man Arshdeep, he is playing first-ever World Cup event, on the big stage, he showed what he is made of. He is my new favorite left-arm pacer from India. I like what he has done," said Brett Lee on his YouTube channel.
"Very often teams don't know what to do with these young and breakout stars. We have seen it before when young players get involved and advice from players, TV, and commentators, at the hotel. Every man means well but very often, too much advice can be counter-productive. So, I think Rahul Dravid and Rohit Sharma have the responsibility to shield Arshdeep Singh from this overdose of advice," he added.
Brett Lee advised Arshdeep Singh to build his mental strength and create a filter for social media comments. This came after he was vilified on social media for dropping an easy catch in an Asia Cup 2022 match against Pakistan.
"As someone who has played a few matches, I believe I am pretty qualified to pass him my thoughts. I have got a couple of little things that I believe can help Arshdeep with his action and take more wickets. My first advice to Arshdeep would be that people often say that a fast bowler should get to the gym, and bulk. We hear they want him to bulk up, be strong. Now strong can be strong in the mind. I would say do not over-gym. Lightweight, high repetitions, don't worry about the beach muscles… if you want to do that, it won't help you bowl fast," said Brett Lee.
"Number 2 will be to build a mental filter to social media comments because we know that the guys and girls playing are all on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. If you're going to play a sport and have a social media presence, you have to understand that you should turn off notifications. Don't read what's written. Have the brains and commonsense to separate that. If you don't like it, get off social media and focus on your cricket," he added.
The former Australian also advised Arshdeep to focus on domestic cricket, in order to improve his cricketing skills.
"Keep working on your skills in domestic cricket, because when there is no big World Cups, and you're not playing Test cricket, there aren't any spectators. This is where you have to shine. So this is what I believe what was the bread and butter of my career. Going back to First-Class cricket, enjoy the quietness of the crowd and hone and build those skills. If you can look after that, the high-level will follow," said Brett Lee.
