India pacer Arshdeep Singh was the instigator in Men in Blue’s T20 World Cup 2024 opening match against Ireland in New York on Wednesday. India defeated Ireland by 8 wickets to pocket two points in the Groatch.
India captain Rohit Sharma had won the toss and opted to field first. And Arshdeep Singh sent back both the openers in the first three overs for 9 runs on the board. He had Paul Stirling caught by Rishabh Pant and clean-bowled Andy Balbirnie.
Hardik Pandya then picked 3/27, while Jasprit Bumrah took 2/6 as Ireland folded for 96 runs. In reply, Rohit Sharma’s 52 (retired hurt) and Rishabh Pant’s 36* took India home in 12.2 overs and 8 wickets in hand.
Arshdeep Singh said he only focused on sticking with his plan even as controlling the ball on the drop-in pitch in cloudy conditions was a big task for India quicks. Arshdeep conceded that controlling the swing was an arduous task and he banked on team-mate Jasprit Bumrah's advice to overcome the issue.
"I made every effort to pitch the ball on the scrambled seam but the ball was swinging so much that it was hard to get it on the scrambled seam. Yes, there were a lot of wides from me.
Jassi bhai (Bumrah), with his loads of experience, keeps telling us not to go after the wicket. Just keep it simple, keep bowling in the right areas, and whatever result comes it's good... whether you are able to stop the flow of runs or get wickets," said Arshdeep during the post-match interview.
"Control means one should not get greedy, not to go after getting wickets. It was cloudy and the ball was swinging. At the start, the plan was to take advantage of that by bowling in the right areas and if they (Ireland) take risks then fine, but it will also give us better a chance to take wickets.
The plan was to keep it simple and aim straight for the wicket to get more LBWs, clean bowled and caught-behind decisions, and keep all the options open. And, if they go for a big slog or try going down the wicket, then it's okay, but yeah we will keep bowling the same way,” he added.
With the surface here being a heated topic of conversation due to low scores, Arshdeep stated that as a bowler, he would rather focus on his process than stare at the scoreboard.
"I guess, as bowlers, we back ourselves to defend anything and we make every effort to ensure whatever be the score that is our par score. (We) follow the process and not look too much at the scoreboard. I have come here after playing the IPL, where 240 were par scores. When we talk about pitches, the main focus is what we can control because the pitch is the same for both teams. So, whichever team applies better and bowls better lengths will get better results,” he said.
Arshdeep also denied there were talks in the dressing room regarding not going all out in the outfield to avoid injuries.
"No, nothing of this sort has been talked about. When the competition is on, you don't think what sort of conditions there are. If there is a catch to be taken, you have to put your body on the line. We don't think too much on those lines. The effort is to put in as much preparation as possible, and that is what gives success,” Arshdeep said.
India will next play Pakistan on Sunday at the same venue, Arshdeep stated that the team would approach the match in the same manner.
"It's the same. Any team that is in front of you nothing changes. Our process remains the same, length will remain the same. As far as planning goes, we have to see what batter plays well in which position. It doesn't matter what team is playing against you, we only think how best we can perform and give our best," he said.
(PTI inputs)
