Ponting’s advice, Siraj’s trick help Arshdeep rediscover rhythm
Arshdeep Singh rediscovered his rhythm and delivered a match-winning performance for Punjab Kings against Mumbai Indians. Following advice from coach Ricky Ponting to "go back to the basics" and "have fun," the bowler took 3/22, including crucial wickets in the Powerplay and death overs. He also showcased a new scrambled seam variation, inspired by Mohammed Siraj.
MUMBAI : “Going back to the basics,” may be the most cliched line delivered by a player but when the mind is muddled, it is often the most effective remedy. Arshdeep Singh also went down that road, found his answers and delivered a Player-of-the-Match performance in Punjab Kings’ seven-wicket win over Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium on Thursday. The 27-year-old came into the MI match short on confidence and with his line and length all over the place.
He had taken just two wickets in four matches and in the Powerplay, he had gone wicketless in 10 games stretching back to last season. But against MI, the outswinger was back while the tailing yorkers were on the money. Arshdeep finished with 3/22 from four overs, accounting for Ryan Rickelton, Suryakumar Yadav and Sherfane Rutherford and became the 31st bowler to cross 100 IPL -wickets.
In his second over, he revealed his new variation, a scrambled seam delivery that tailed in, and Rickelton, cramped for room, hit it to backward square leg. The very next ball, a classic outswinger caught Surya off guard as he edged it to short third man. The left-arm pacer returned in the death overs to land a perfect yorker to rattle Rutherford’s stumps, reminding everyone that his full repertoire remains intact.
In the previous four matches, Arshdeep had conceded 16 wides, which mostly came in bunches in his endeavour to stay away from batters’ arc. Against MI, though, the accuracy was back as he bowled just one wide. Later, Arshdeep attributed his effort to clearing the clutter to a pep talk from coach Ricky Ponting.