Arshdeep Singh (Getty Images) CHENNAI: Arshdeep Singh has an infectious aura around him. The left arm pacer can be cut throat with his yorkers and flicked on the field but off it he is a ball of energy.Here in Chepauk on Thursday night, Arshdeep was in ominous touch, throwing the ball both ways and keeping the Zimbabwean batsmen on a tight leash. He took three wickets and went past Jasprit Bumrah to become India’s leading wicket-taker in T20 World Cup history with 35 scalps. And after helping India dispose of Zimbabwe, Arshdeep showed a different shade of himself from his menacing persona on the field in the media zone. Most of his answers were full of beans.
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One such answer came when he was asked about South Africa’s win over the West Indies earlier in the day, which had already eased the way for India. With a smile, he offered the Proteos a playful “thank you” and even shared how the tension played out in the hotel room.“We weren’t glued to the match but we kept checking the score here and there. My family was in the hotel room and when the West Indies batsmen struck, my dad was scolding them. I said, ‘Don’t be angry, just enjoy the match and hope South Africa win’. They (SA) played very well, I thank them for giving us a chance to beat them so that we can beat them in the next match.” Arshdeep said.India’s next match against West Indies at the Eden Gardens will be a virtual quarter-final and Arshdeep knows it won’t be a straightforward affair. The powerful hitters from the Caribbean side can change the script in the blink of an eye and he was quick to point out that they are not just one-dimensional. After all, the Windies battled to a competitive total despite losing 83-7 against South Africa on Thursday.“It’s not like they only have one kit. If you look at their game against SA, they played really well in the middle as well. They took the game deep and then did about 180 runs. So I think they can adapt to the situation as well. We’re looking forward to the game, we’ll see how the pitch plays and what the conditions are like. We’ll focus on recovery now and judge things on the day of the game.One thing Arshdeep will focus on against the West Indies on Sunday is, in his own words, “trying to control the urge (urge) to bowl bad balls (laughs)”. And he added that he and his fellow bowlers like to do the “dirty work” on batting surfaces.“As long as our batsmen enjoy batting on these surfaces, we are more than happy to do the dirty work. We don’t mind being hit. Our game plan was to score big and then try to defend it,” the 27-year-old said.
