For India and Indians, Pakistan is the conflict peak, yet, despite genuine aspirations to go all the way.
Arshdeep is the most inexperienced player in India’s team, having played only 13 T20 Internationals. He hasn’t played 50 overs of cricket for India and hasn’t even come close to getting selected in the Test team.
Going a bit further, Arshdeep has played only six first-class matches and 17 List-A (or domestic 50-over matches) so far.
And yet, he is a gun bowler.
There is no reason to believe that Arshdeep cannot perform well in other formats, but there is enough evidence to show that he is a T20 gem.
At a height of 1.9 metres, he brings a vertical element that is challenging, in that he can hit slightly shorter lengths and still get the ball to kick in and take the batsmen by surprise.
Irritated and sinful, Arshdeep can hit the ball at a length if the situation so demands.
But, most importantly, he is a banker in the death overs. Arshdeep has a yorker that he can control and for now bowls almost at will.
This has been India’s biggest challenge – the death over – and there is no sign that it has been solved.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar is a great swing bowler, but his 19th over figures in T20 cricket recently are shocking to read. Despite not playing in this format for a year, Mohammed Shami’s return to the team was like a wild card. Shami bowled his yorker in just one over in the practice match, the final one, but that was a time and place when there was no pressure.
With Jasprit Bumrah out, India have fewer death options. Hardik Pandya bowled himself all the time to guide Gujarat Titans to the Indian Premier League title, but he is yet to be trialled by India as a death bowling substitute.
Teams will be flexible about their playing XI in the World Cup. Rishabh Pant one day and Dinesh Karthik the other, depending on whether you want to be top heavy or a ready finisher.
But when it comes to bowling the last few overs in the 18th and 20th or 17th and 19th overs, you need to be very clear.
In T20 matches, whether defending or chasing a total, these are the crucial overs that decide the game. make or break.
Arshdeep comes. He drives his mark farther, farther, from the well outside the 30-yard circle, but his mind is on the last few moves as he extends his left hand and lets go of the ball.
Arshdeep’s yorkers are usually yorkers. They don’t end up as full tosses that get smacked.
Arshdeep, being young and inexperienced, thinks like a T20 bowler. He has variations, but does not use them for fun.
In many ways, Arshdeep is a return to cricket as it once was. After all, which ball of a fast bowler is more lethal than a yorker? A bouncer can send you to the hospital, but if you can’t keep the toe out, you’re gone and so is your team.
Death bowling is in front of India in this World Cup.
At the top of the innings, you have Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul and Virat Kohli, who have all seen the light and come into this format to entertain with skill. Suryakumar Yadav is a stunner who has taken T20 batting to another fickle and unpredictable level.
In the spin department you have Yuzvendra Chahal, an IPL stud, R Ashwin, the all-time great, and Axar Patel, a gun replacement for Ravindra Jadeja.
There is no doubt that there is immense wealth in this Indian team. But, when it comes to picking the playing XI, there will be tough choices. But after the dismissal of Jasprit Bumrah, the first name in the team list should be Arshdeep.
Bumrah’s strong arm, his punchy shoulders and backbone cannot be changed. But, Arshdeep can give the same result with a completely different approach.
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