Another reminder that Arshdeep Singh’s power still exists

Cricket isn’t too complicated.

Bowlers don’t have a lot to do; they just have to pick enough wickets in the powerplay. 

But if you had told this to Chennai Super Kings (CSK) a week ago, they would have told you cricket isn’t that simple. 

Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) have thus far absolutely decimated oppositions, with powerplay scores of 81/1, 78/1, 65/1 and 56/1. Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma quickly made a reputation for being powerplay killers, with teams treading through caution against them. So, how do you really combat them? 

Well, bowl well in the powerplay. On April 9 (Tuesday), that is exactly what Punjab Kings did. They forced Sunrisers into a position they had never seen before.

All of that with simple bowling: hit the right line and lengths. 

“Arsh has been absolutely fantastic. Rabada is the best bowler, we wanted him to bowl in the first over, and we wanted him to show intent in the first over. They have dominated the powerplay, and that has put pressure on them, making life tough for other batters,” PBKS’ assistant coach Brad Haddin opened up during the clash against Sunrisers Hyderabad.

That is where the think tank gave the new ball to Kagiso Rabada, who was opening the bowling for the first time in two editions (the last time being in 2022 against CSK). The biggest reason behind it was to feed fear into the minds of the opposition and break them in a segment they have bossed thus far. 

It nearly worked when Head had edged one behind off Rabada’s bowling. But that one over did give Arshdeep Singh a lot of confidence at the other end. It showed him a blueprint to work with, an area of the wicket he could target. That was the length area. 

In the last two years, Arshdeep has been a regular feature of the national setup. But till the clash against Sunrisers, his numbers were pretty average with the new ball, with just two wickets in four matches. His average in powerplay overs read 33.5, and the one thing that usually worked in his favour, new ball wickets, faded into oblivion.

So, he had to get the wind back in his sails. And he did exactly that with his best powerplay showing thus far, something that would make the Indian selectors highly satisfied. The 25-year-old bowled with his tail up, constantly knocking the length and back of a length area, troubling the Sunrisers’ openers. 

83% of his deliveries were in the same region, where batters struggled immensely, only scoring at a strike rate of 67. The left-arm seamer had drawn 15 false shots in the first four encounters, but in the clash against Sunrisers, he had drawn five false shots and removed two of the most in-form batters in world cricket - Travis Head and Aiden Markram. 

Against Head, Arshdeep targetted the stumps, taking the ball slightly away from the left-hander, who went for his favourite drive - only to be dismissed. Markram, who walked out to bat, didn’t last too long either, with a ball angling away from the right-hander. Two of the best batters in a phase where the Sunrisers have dominated.

Just an over, one over of pure bliss, Arshdeep showed that ‘form is temporary, class is permanent’. 

2 overs, eight runs, two wickets

****

Nitish Kumar Reddy is smashing the ball all over the park. 

There’s Abdul Samad alongside him, another player known for his ability to smash the ball. At 150/5 with just four overs to spare, Arshdeep had to mark a good return to the bowling crease.

He did that, bowling wide-yorkers and targeting the tough areas for the batters to smash the ball. Samad was dismissed trying to smash a wide delivery. Soon after, Nitish succumbed similarly, trying to take on Arshdeep. 

Arshdeep had clear plans: swing it like a king in the powerplay and take it wide in the death-overs. 

It wasn’t overly complicated; it was about doing simple things over and over again. Arshdeep did it with some accuracy, forcing himself back into a World Cup contention. If he continues to bowl with such tenacity, the least he will get is a flight ticket to the Caribbean and the United States of America.

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