The Indian cricket team had an unforgettable outing in the 2024 T20 World Cup. In the event that took place in USA and Barbados, the Rohit Sharma-led side bagged the trophy, their first after 17 years. While the team shone in all fronts, their bowling certainly took the centre stage. Former Pakistan captain Ramiz Raja has heaped praises on Indian pacer Arshdeep Singh, who was the joint-highest wicket-taker in the tournament along with Afghanistan’s Fazalhaq Farooqi. Both the players picked 17 wickets each.
“All the bowlers in India’s attack played their role (in the T20 World Cup victory), some got hit but most of them delivered good performances with their tight bowling and cleverness on flat tracks that test your bowling quality, credibility and credentials. On that note, the name that first comes up is that of Arshdeep Singh,” Raja said on his YouTube channel ‘Rameez Speaks‘.
Bumrah, who picked 15 wickets in the event and make life really tough for the opposition batters, bagged the Player of the Tournament award for his impactful performance.
Raja pointed out that Arshdeep is not getting pressurised by the presence of Bumrah and the young pacer is rather learning from him.
“Bumrah ke hote hue, ye craft seekh bhi rahe hain, magar unse dab nahi rahe hain (With Bumrah there, Arshdeep is learning from him and not feeling the pressure because of Bumrah’s presence). It’s very important for him to back himself and prove that he is at par with Bumrah, if not better than him. So to challenge himself that way is very important for Arshdeep’s growth, because if he will compete with the world’s best bowler, then his own bowling will touch the sky,” said the former Pakistan captain.
Arshdeep bowled at an economy of 7.16 in 2024 T20 World Cup. His best figures were 4 for 9.
“He comes on to bowl in do-or-die situations (death overs), like if he doesn’t deliver, the team will lose and he might be out of the squad. But he bowls cleverly and to his field, when to bowl length balls, slower balls, can bowl the slower bouncer as well. So he offers a lot of advantage to his team,” said Raja.
“The important thing about Indian circuit is that we are witnessing improvement in skill level every six months, not that they fall apart or the performance dips. The skill level is going up and there is a willingness to learn. That’s an important element you see in Arshdeep’s bowling,” he added.
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