Playing for Punjab Kings (PBKS) in the just-concluded Indian Premier League (IPL), Arshdeep Singh impressed one and all with his performances.
The left-arm pacer took 10 wickets from 14 matches at an economy rate of 7.70. In particular, his ability to nail yorkers in the death overs caught everyone’s attention.
Thanks to his IPL exploits, Arshdeep earned his maiden call-up to the senior Indian team for the upcoming T20I series against South Africa, starting June 9 in Delhi.
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Speaking to NDTV, the 23-year-old pacer opened up on his immediate feelings after being named in the T20I squad.
"We were travelling in the team bus on Sunday when I got the message of being picked (in Indian T20I side), then I did not feel much on how to react as we were going for the game. Right now, I am feeling really good as congratulatory messages are still coming in and my family is also being congratulated. I am grateful after being picked in the squad," Arshdeep said.
When asked how he goes about his preparation before a game, the young pacer said: "You always have butterflies in your stomach, no matter how much cricket you play. The excitement to play cricket is always there in a cricketer. But when you get the role clarity from your team, it makes things easier in terms of execution. I follow my routines and processes before each game and I try to make sure I do not miss them."
Talking about his yorkers, Arshdeep Singh said he had to practice a lot to master the craft and also credited his bowling coaches for it.
"I guess, it is all about repetition (on how he has managed to deliver yorkers on a consistent basis). Yorker is a delivery that you learn to perfect after bowling it ball after ball. It is based on how you feel on that day and how the wicket is. The credit goes to my bowling coach Jaswant Rai and also the bowling of PBKS-- Damien Wright. They have worked a lot with me, before the match, Wright used to tell me that I should practice bowling yorkers with the wet ball as well because if dew comes in, then there are chances of missing the yorkers," said Arshdeep.
"I want to work on my consistency. I want to be more consistent. Bowling coach Paras Mhambrey sir would be there, Rahul Dravid sir would be there, I will try to pick their brains and I will try to figure out in what mental state the player should be in," he added.
(With NDTV inputs)
