Left-arm seamer Arshdeep Singh made an impressive debut in the ongoing T20 World Cup 2022 as he picked the prized wicket of Pakistan captain Babar Azam on the first ball he bowled in the tournament. He went on to pick wickets of Mohammad Rizwan and Asif Ali to finish with 3/32.
India had invited Pakistan to bat first after Rohit Sharma won the toss. Thanks to Arshdeep Singh and Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Pakistan batters found it tough in the powerplay overs, losing both openers early.
But then Iftikhar Ahmed (51) and Shan Masood (52*) added 76 runs for the third wicket as Pakistan finished with 159/8 in 20 overs. In reply, India was reduced to 31/4 in 6 overs with Haris Rauf and Naseem Shah doing the damage.
But then Hardik Pandya (40) and Virat Kohli added 113 runs for the sixth wicket and Kohli continued to play dream innings finishing with 82* in 53 balls with 6 fours and 4 sixes as India won the crunch match off the last ball of the match.
Talking about the game, 23-year-old Arshdeep Singh spoke about how he moved on from having "sleepless nights" after dropping a sitter against Pakistan during Asia Cup to dismissing Pakistan captain Babar Azam on such a huge stage.
He credited the team’s healthy environment and players backing one another for him moving on from his nightmare.
"The team atmosphere is so good that we don't let the outside noise get in. We enjoy each other's company, stand for each other in bad times. It really helps,” Arshdeep said.
"There is nothing called a challenge if you enjoy your game. We are enjoying our cricket, and as I said the team environment is really good. We very much love our game and when that happens you enjoy the sport and there's no challenge. Personally, I also enjoy my game. Whenever I get an opportunity I try to stay in the present,” he added.
On what he put in extra to be mentally tough, he said: "I didn't put in anything extra, I just try to keep everything simple. Mainly, I don't think much."
"Both the teams are playing really well. As a youngster you really love it. It was a big ground, you have to run hard. It also challenges you physically and mentally and brings out the best in you," he concluded.
(PTI inputs)
