It was nearing 11 PM at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. India outclassed Zimbabwe in a must-win Super 8 clash by amassing 256 runs. But when Arshdeep Singh walked into the mixed zone, the adrenaline wore off and the stadium almost emptied. Still, the tired faces in the press box lit up at the sight of him.
The writers knew that they would not be short of headlines after interacting with Arshdeep. The left-arm fast bowler rarely disappoints.
“Up-down ho hi ja raha tha,” Arshdeep said, describing the mood in his hotel room as he watched South Africa’s Super 8 match against the West Indies with his father. In his inimitable style he recalled having to reassure his father as he cursed the West Indies batsmen for hitting boundaries.
India needed a win in South Africa that afternoon and the West Indies made it a nervous watch for the fans. Even as spectators entered Chepauk for India’s evening game, many still had scorecards refreshing on their phones.
It ended well. South Africa has done India a favour. India then did what they had to and pushed Zimbabwe aside.
Arshdeep brings a distinct Gen Z energy to the dressing room. The 27-year-old Punjabi pacer doesn’t shy away from taking a swipe at Instagram. Off the field he is funny and frolicsome. You see a completely different shade of man on the field. Fierce and focused. We saw this in the T20 World Cup 2024 final where he conceded just four runs in the 19th over when South Africa needed 20 off 12. Arshdeep is doing his best to keep the dressing room atmosphere light (Credit: PTI)
Sometimes fans expect professional athletes to carry themselves with a certain stoicism. If you are outgoing and happen to fail, you are prone to criticism, which is mostly unwarranted. Why shouldn’t a 27-year-old cricketer have fun shooting discs? Why can’t he have fun shooting reels with Virat Kohli?
Arshdeep knows exactly what he is doing.
“I just try to keep a light atmosphere in the dressing room. Young people and even seniors want to enjoy the game,” he said.
“There is a lot of cricket being played. Players tend to be serious because of the uncertainty of the sport. But the important thing is to enjoy every moment. We don’t spend much time with our families. We travel all the time. So we try to create a family feeling in the team. My motto is to keep the dressing room environment cool.”
QUICK ENTRY
If you ask pundits or fans to name the top three T20I bowlers in the world, they might not name Arshdeep off the top of their head. However, his numbers say something else.
In the four years since his debut, Arshdeep Singh has raced to become India’s leading wicket-taker in T20Is. No player from a Test country has taken 100 wickets since his debut. Arshdeep has 126 in this period. He is already joint India’s highest wicket-taker in T20 World Cups as he equaled Jasprit Bumrah, his favorite senior bowling partner. Arshdeep is India’s leading wicket-taker in T20Is (Courtesy: AFP)
Does she feel she’s gone from junior to senior on the team or at least on the circuit?
“If you talk about youth, in this group only batsmen are younger than me. I am the youngest in the bowling group. I am still learning from there,” he said, drawing laughter from the room.
GRINDER BEHIND IT
Arshdeep is ubiquitous in Indian training sessions. He starts by steamrolling into the bowlers’ nets but always makes sure to fight for time with the bat. In Chepauk, two days before the Zimbabwe match, Arshdeep was obsessed. Not with the ball, but with the bat, making the most of uninterrupted time. He smashed a line of net pitchers into the stands and showed off his ability to hit the big ones. India practiced for nearly four hours that day; Arshdeep spent nearly an hour batting.
The work ethic is evident. Intelligence is more subtle.
It doesn’t always show in his social media persona, but Arshdeep has a keen understanding of the game. He has developed the skill to intervene at crucial moments, which is deeply appreciated by the team management. In just his fifth year in international cricket, he has become a versatile bowler who trusts the new ball, the middle overs and the death.
READY TO DO THE DIRTY WORK
His ability to stay in the present stands out.
Against West Indies at the Eden Gardens, in another must-win Super 8, Arshdeep conceded 37 runs in his first three overs. Still, captain Suryakumar Yadav handed him the 19th over. West Indies were 175 for 4 after 18 overs, with momentum firmly on their side.
Arshdeep responded with calm authority, conceding only six runs. West Indies finished on 195, falling short of what once seemed inevitable. It wasn’t a headline-grabbing moment, but it shaped the match. India chased down the target in 19.2 overs, powered by Sanju Samson’s master class.
It is not easy being a bowler in T20 cricket. Flatter pitches, shorter boundaries and heavier bats tipped the balance sharply towards the batsmen. Bills that were once considered extraordinary have become routine.
Take India for example. Since the end of the T20 World Cup in 2024, they have crossed the 200-run mark 21 times in just two years. Before that, since the arrival of T20Is in the 2024 World Cup, they had reached 200 only 33 times. But the shift came at a cost. India conceded more than 200 totals seven times in that period, compared to 15 in all the years before that.
The batters flourished. The pitchers held on.
However, Arshdeep sees it differently.
“As long as our batsmen are happy scoring, we are happy,” he said. “Even if we get hit after they score, it doesn’t matter. Our batters pile up the runs and we try to defend that. As long as they can play freely, we like to do the dirty work.”
“First we enjoy their batting. Then we try to defend the total.”
He knows what awaits him now. Difficult transitions. Awkward moments. Bumrah helps, but the control of everyone else remains relentless.
But under responsibility, the core remains unchanged. He’s still the boy who dared to dream.
“I’m enjoying it. I always dreamed of playing for India as a youngster. When you get an opportunity in the World Cup and the team trusts you to play in the powerhouse even after death, it means a lot.”
“I want to be consistent. I am working on it with Morne Morkel. I have great partners in Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj and Hardik Pandya.”
His mantra is simple.
“You can’t control whether you get goals or not. You can control how you aim. So you’ll keep working.”
With eight wickets in six matches in this World Cup, Arshdeep is once again flying under the radar.
People will continue to see two versions of him. The boy who laughs. A pitcher that lasts. Arshdeep knows it is the same person.
In the chaos of the modern game, he is perfectly content to be both.
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Published on:
March 3, 2026 08:51 IST
