NEW DELHI: Former India pacer Rudra Pratap Singh believes that Punjab Kings didn't utilise young
Arshdeep Singh
effectively during the recently concluded IPL. However, he thinks that the left-arm pacer can prove to be very effective during the death overs at the
T20 World Cup
, especially alongside
Jasprit Bumrah
.
Arshdeep managed to secure 19 wickets from 14 games in IPL, but his economy rate of 10.03, largely due to facing 'impact player' onslaughts, left him somewhat disheartened.
RP Singh, who was India's bowling hero in the 2007 T20 World Cup in South Africa, stated his preference for Arshdeep over
Mohammed Siraj
for the upcoming tournament.
"If we assess Arshdeep on the basis of his IPL performance, I think he hasn't been utilised well," RP Singh made these comments in response to a PTI query during a promotional event where the Indian team's jersey was unveiled for the inaugural World Championship of Legends.
"The utilisation of the bowlers also depends on their captain, in which conditions he uses them, in which situation he makes them bowl and how best that he thinks his bowler is."
RP Singh feels that the wicket at Nassau County will be on the slower side and suggests that Arshdeep, instead of bowling pacey length deliveries, should focus on using cutters effectively.
"Talking about the length on the tracks in the USA during an early morning start, as per my understanding, there should be a bit of slowness in the wicket. So, the ideal length will be somewhere around just short of good length.
"There will be not a lot of swing for the bowlers but the bowlers with variations, not only just yorkers but also slower ones, leg and off cutters. These deliveries will be utilised a bit more by Arshdeep, so the success rate will be automatically higher for him and that's what I understand about the wickets in the US."
RP also believes that Jasprit Bumrah should ideally bowl three overs in the back-10, as it would apply significant pressure on the opposition batting unit.
"Death bowling is really important in T20 cricket. Bumrah may bowl three overs in the death overs. He is our mainstay there. My preference alongside Bumrah in the death is Arshdeep over Siraj because of the variations he has. I think Siraj can be impactful in a game when he is bowling with the new ball. Otherwise, it should be Bumrah and Arshdeep."
Arshdeep's left-arm action naturally creates challenging angles for right-handed batsmen, making him a crucial asset. Having another left-armer like Khaleel Ahmed in the World T20 reserves adds depth to the bowling unit.
"Left arm pacers are always an advantage especially against right-handed batters. It is not like two or more left-arm seamers can't play together. Zaheer Khan, Ashish Nehra and I have played in multiple games together."
For achieving the perfect balance, it's crucial for Hardik Pandya to bowl his full quota of overs. This would provide the team with the flexibility to field three specialist spinners, potentially allowing Yuzvendra Chahal to join Kuldeep Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja in the playing eleven.
"Hardik bowled in the IPL and bowled four overs so there's no injury scare. Hardik's bowling will be important and he will have to bowl all his quota of 4-overs. If
Shivam Dube
bowls too, then it will be an added advantage for India ahead.
"Shivam may not play some matches initially but whenever he plays, he will perform well and score runs for India."
(With PTI inputs)
English (US) ·