BCCI’s selection panel on Sunday (May 22) announced Team India’s 18-member squad for the upcoming five-match T20I series against South Africa.
With many senior players being rested, youngsters have been given an opportunity for their brilliance in the ongoing IPL season.
Left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh has received his maiden call-up along with SRH’s pace sensation Umran Malik.
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Playing for Punjab Kings (PBKS), Arshdeep impressed one and all with his performances in the IPL 2022 season. He took 10 wickets from 14 matches at an economy rate of 7.70. In particular, his ability to bowl yorkers in the death overs caught everyone’s attention.
After the India call-up, the 23-year-old Arshdeep is over the moon as he had the dream of playing for the country like every other budding cricketer.
“(I) Feel really happy that I’ve been selected in the India team. (I) Came to know about it just before the match against SRH (at the Wankhede Stadium on Sunday). In fact, I came to know about it in the team bus. Yes, it is a pretty exciting feeling. While the match was on, I didn’t feel it that much, but when I wake up in the morning (on Monday), I will realise that it is a very special moment," Arshdeep quoted as saying by IANS.
“Anyone who starts playing the game, wants to represent the country and I feel quite lucky and grateful about that. I want to keep performing to the best of my ability in the future," he added.
Talking about his yorkers, Arshdeep Singh said he had to really work hard to get better at the craft as it is very difficult for a pace bowler to survive without having the delivery in his arsenal.
“I guess (the) credit goes to the management (for him bowling yorkers regularly). They got (some good) batsmen in the (mega) auction, so bowling (to) them in the nets again and again helped me with that delivery… to save yourself from being clobbered (in the nets), the only way out was to bowl yorkers. So, the improvement that you see in my bowling is because of that," he said.
“Even when I play for Punjab in domestic cricket, there are good players there as well and if you have to perform well, you have to bowl yorkers," added the bowler.
KL Rahul will lead India in the T20I series against South Africa, starting June 9 while Rishabh Pant has been named vice-captain of the team.
All-rounder Hardik Pandya and wicketkeeper-batter Dinesh Karthik have also earned a recall to the Indian T20I squad thanks to their impressive exploits in the IPL 2022 season.
India Squad for South Africa T20I Series:
KL Rahul (c), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ishan Kishan, Deepak Hooda, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant(vc & wk), Dinesh Karthik (wk), Hardik Pandya, Venkatesh Iyer, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Akshar Patel, Ravi Bishnoi, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Harshal Patel, Avesh Khan, Arshdeep Singh, Umran Malik.
(With IANS inputs)
