Punjab Kings pacer Arshdeep Singh has remained calm despite social media criticism over his remarks in the viral video involving Tilak Varma, according to Punjab Kings head of sports science Andrew Leipus.Punjab Kings are under pressure after five straight defeats, which has left their playoff hopes hanging in the balance. PBKS now need to win their remaining matches against Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Lucknow Super Giants to stay in contention.The poor run also came amid social media attention surrounding Arshdeep. The left-arm pacer faced criticism after a clip surfaced of him calling Tilak saying, “Ah and here,” with some fans accusing him of “casual racism.”A day later, Arshdeep was again in the limelight after he responded to a fan who asked PBKS to remove Punjab from his name. Temper responded by saying that he can’t take advice from people who are still taking money from their family to buy chips and cold drinks.Ahead of PBKS’ clash with RCB, Andrew Leipus said the criticism had not affected Arshdeep’s thinking.“I don’t follow social media much myself, so I know there’s been a bit of chat behind the scenes of different things going on, vlogging and whatnot. I don’t know,” Leipus told reporters at the pre-match press conference, as quoted by the Hindustan Times.“In terms of his demeanor, Arsh is pretty much flat. He’s not up or down. He’s giving his best. We’ve been working together a little bit, and looking at his body, there might be limitations that could be why some of his performances are up and down,” Leipus added.Leipus said Arshdeep’s demeanor in the dressing room remained unchanged.“He’s a very vocal person in the locker room. That hasn’t changed. He’s not up and down. He’s very calm. I’m old. I don’t do much on social media. You can check my name there,” Leipus said.The PBKS official also said that Arshdeep continues to play a leadership role in the team.“He’s still incredibly confident and positive, leading from the front on and off the field. He’s a very social guy, he’s no different than anyone else. He’s in the mix, he’s at breakfast with everybody,” Leipus said.“So from that point of view, they keep under wraps any anxieties that might develop when the pressure is on, which is fantastic. We’ve got a pretty young squad and hopefully they’ll pick up on those vibes and stay calm. That calmness at the top and the lack of fluctuation in behavior is very positive.”
