“Probably What Zak Did For India”: Ex-India Captain Backs Arshdeep Singh To Achieve Great Heights

While Virat Kohli’s unbeaten 82 was the focal point of India’s four wicket win over Pakistan in their 2022 T20 World Cup opener, there were several other positives too. Hardik Pandya came up with a stellar all-round show, scoring 40 and taking three wickets as well. Young left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh also grabbed attention with his three dismissals, which included those of Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan and Asif Ali. He returned with figures of 4-0-32-3. In the absence of Jasprit Bumrah, the 23-year-old Arshdeep has emerged as a great option for India.

Arshdeep’s performance has impressed former India captain and coach Anil Kumble, who worked with the pacer in Indian Premier League franchise Punjab Kings.

“I was really impressed with Arshdeep, how he’s come through,” Kumble said on ESPNcricinfo’s Open Mic programme. “I worked with him for three years and I could see the kind of development that he has had in the T20 format, and last year’s IPL was a classic example of how he handled the pressure.

“He perhaps bowled the tough overs for the team and yeah, you don’t always look at the wickets column in the T20 game, you look at what moments the bowler comes up with. And the temperament that he’s shown, it’s wonderful. We saw that again in the India-Pakistan game. When you have 90,000 people at the MCG, it’s always challenging.

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“So yes, Arshdeep has certainly matured and I’d like to see him carry on. Probably what Zak [Zaheer Khan] did for India, I expect Arshdeep to go on to do some wonderful things for India.”

India next face Netherlands in their second Group 2 match on Thursday.