Following their side’s win over Australia in the Super Eights ICC T20 World Cup clash, Indian pacer Arshdeep Singh and spinner Kuldeep Yadav discussed team’s strategies during their win, with Arshdeep heaping praises on pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah for bowling “like a video game”. Rohit Sharma’s swashbuckling 92 followed by Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah and Kuldeep Yadav’s influential spells along with Axar Patel’s one-handed stunner sealed a 24-run win for India against Australia and sealed their berth in the semi-final of the ongoing T20 World Cup.
Following the game, in a video posted by the official Instagram handle of the Indian cricket team, Arshdeep questioned how difficult it was for Kuldeep to first bowl with the wind and then against the wind.
To this Kuldeep replied, “It was difficult because automatically my ball comes in for the right-handed batter. Obviously, the righty was trying to target the left side. I was just reading the batsman and what he was expecting. As soon as I started the first over, I tried to put in a fuller ball, a flipper. I tried to put in a fuller ball because if he sweeps, there is a chance for us (for a wicket).”
“Then I was throwing the wrong’un from there. So, he was confused that I was putting in two balls. I put in only two balls in the first over. Both of them were confused that I could put in a fuller or a wide wrong’un. So, firstly, this was the plan. Then, in the second over, obviously, the catch that Axar took was a really good catch. Maybe, from there, the game opened up for us,” he added.
Talking about his efficiency with the new ball, Arshdeep, who has taken 15 wickets in the tournament so far, said that it has not been very difficult for him with Bumrah doing so well with the ball, creating pressure on batters and forcing them to go for big shots, which produced wickets for India.
“I do not think there is anything difficult about that at this time (bowling with new ball). Because Jassi is bowling like a video game, with an economy rate of just two or three runs. Whatever pressure the batter feels, he takes it out on me. He plays high-risk shots, I get a lot of wickets through them,” said Arshdeep.
“I will say that he gets a lot of credit. All the other bowlers are very big in the partnership. They stop runs from one end and get wickets from the other end. I guess as a bowling unit, everyone is clicking very well,” he added.
Rohit’s 92 helped India put up 205/5 on the board and restricted Australia to 181/7 in their 20 overs despite Travis Head’s counter-attacking 76 in 43 balls, with nine fours and four sixes. After Bangladesh’s loss to Afghanistan, Australia was eliminated from the tournament, getting just one win and facing two losses in Super Eights, including one to Afghanistan.
India will next take on England in the semifinals at Guyana on Thursday.
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