I don't feel nervous bowling in the death overs: Arshdeep Singh

Arshdeep Singh of India celebrates after dismissing Aiden Markram of South Africa during the ICC Men's T20 Cricket World Cup West Indies & USA 2024 Final match between South Africa and India at Kensington Oval on June 29, 2024 in Bridgetown, Barbados. Image: Gareth Copley/Getty Images

The first thing that catches your eye on a Zoom call with Arshdeep Singh is an Indian jersey, with a medal hanging from its left sleeve, mounted on the wall behind him. “It’s from the 2018 Under-19 World Cup,” says Singh, from his home in Mohali.

Six years from that victory, the Singh household is again on a quest for space on the wall, for their 25-year-old son has brought home another World Cup trophy—this time, the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.

It’s a happy headache for a cricketer who was once on the cusp of quitting and emigrating to Canada, where his brother resides. “My parents asked me to move, because I wasn’t getting too many chances in the first two years of my under-16/19 career. But I requested for a year’s time,” he says. “Of course, now they deny having said any of it,” Singh adds with an impish grin. “They have given me a free hand in my career, aur woh bhi mazaa le rahe hai—mere saath tour pe aate hai, interviews dete hai (they are enjoying touring with me and giving media interviews).”

Singh’s conviction has been vindicated, twice over, as he not only won the junior World Cup, but also became the only member of that cohort to feature in the recent T20 World Cup victory. He also ended up being the joint highest wicket-taker [17 wickets, along with Fazalhaq Farooqi of Afghanistan] in the 2024 tournament.

While the lanky left-armer bowled several crucial spells, none was perhaps more nerve-wracking than the penultimate over in the final against South Africa. With 20 runs to score in 12 balls and the explosive David Miller at the crease, the game could have swung either way—but Singh held his nerve and conceded only four, leaving Hardik Pandya a neat 16 to defend in the final over. It’s a remarkable turnaround for Singh, who was viciously trolled during the 2022 Asia Cup—including being labelled Khalistani—for having dropped a catch in the high-octane India-Pakistan clash. 

Now back home and finally catching up on lost sleep, Singh is steeling himself up for the next phase of his career, where one of his key targets is to play Test cricket. In an interview with Forbes India, he breaks down his role in the Indian team, his influences and his ambition to transform into an all-format player. Edited excerpts. 
 
Q. The World Cup win and your performance in it must be really satisfying for you, especially when you think of the way you were criticised during Asia Cup 2022.
Every player dreams of representing India, and to win world titles on top of that is very satisfying. As you’ve mentioned, I’ve gone through ups and downs in my career, but I’ve always tried to remain level-headed. Our team environment has always been healthy—everyone is treated equally irrespective of our performances. The criticism that you speak of mainly comes from social media, and it doesn’t percolate into the team—hum bas maze ke liye social media dekhte hai (we follow social media just for fun). As for that dropped catch, I wasn’t thinking much about the catch in its aftermath, but was ruing the fact that I let go of an opportunity to win the game for the team.

Q. When you came to bowl the 19th over in the final, it was still a gettable chase for South Africa. How nervous were you?
Ever since I’ve debuted with the Indian team, I’ve been told what the team expects of me—to bowl two overs upfront and two at the business end. It’s given me a lot of clarity and I know the specific skills I have to practise. So, I no longer feel nervous or pressured when I bowl in the final stages of the game.

On the day of the final, my plan was to use the wicket well—the ball was reversing, and I had a new batter, Keshav Maharaj, at the crease. My target was to bowl dot balls to him and keep [David] Miller, who was at the other end, off strike, so that I could leave enough for [Hardik] Pandya to defend in the last over.

Q. Did captain Rohit Sharma have any word of advice for you before the crucial over?
With experience, you learn what sort of balls you have to bowl in the death overs. In our team, Rohit bhai, or even other senior players for that matter, allow the bowlers the freedom to plan, and they back us up by setting a field accordingly. Sharma is the only national captain I’ve played under and I’m extremely fortunate that he’s a bowler’s captain. Whenever I go to bowl, he says jo bhi tere ko dalna hai tu dal, agar field main kuch change hai, main kar dunga (you do whatever you want, I will adjust the field accordingly). It feels good when the captain trusts you.

Also read: Amid India's batting galaxy, Jasprit Bumrah emerges as the lone bowling star

Q. One of the talking points of the final was the catch that Surya Kumar Yadav took of Miller. Did you have your heart in your mouth when that catch went up?
There wasn’t much time to react when that ball went up. All I could think was thoda hawa mein hi ruk jaaye aur paas me gir jaye (let it stop in the air and drop nearby for a catch). But, irrespective of the catch, all of us had a strong belief at that point—given how we had built up pressure on South Africa in the last 4/5 overs, we felt we could win the match. And when you have belief, you can pull off miracles like Surya bhai’s catch. 

Q. Your pace bowling partner Jasprit Bumrah is being called a once-in-a-generation player. What have you learnt from having him around?
Jassi bhai is a unique bowler, and his bowling style is different from everyone else’s. I can’t pick up tricks from his action, since his and mine are chalk and cheese, but I try and learn from him how fast I can adapt, how flexible my approach can be, and how to stay switched on constantly. When you play at the elite level, you are expected to have some skillsets, but what makes all the difference is how you prepare yourself mentally, how you turn around from failures and setbacks. Bumrah teaches me how to deal with the mental aspects of the sport. I always try to strike up a conversation with him—woh thak jaate hai answer karte karte (he gets tired answering questions), but I try to learn more and more from him.

Q. You’ve been with this team for two years now. Has the World Cup win been one of the most emotional moments for the team?
Hundred percent. The team hadn’t won an ICC trophy for some time and the players were hungry to change that. That’s why there was an outpouring of emotions. Look at Rahul [Dravid] sir, for instance. He has been a legend as a player and has also contributed equally as a coach, so when you have a world title as your reward, the emotions will show. It feels good that our team could give him an opportunity to celebrate the way he did, and that I had some role to play in it. Among the players, Rohit bhai aur khaas kar ke Jassi bhai (and especially Jasprit Bumrah) are not known to be very expressive, but even Bumrah became emotional. It shows what the title means to them. As for me, I didn’t manage to shed tears—andar se nahi aaya (couldn’t express the emotions)—but it felt good to see others celebrating the win the way they did.

Q. What have you learnt from playing with Rahul Dravid as the coach?
Rahul bhai has always been very calm, irrespective of how the team performs. He ensures poor performances don’t affect the team as long as we follow the right processes. He has taught me how not to be result-oriented. As a player, you want to win every match, but sometimes things are out of your control. Rahul sir’s approach is to give 100 percent on the field so that you can sleep at night without any regrets, and then stop worrying about the rest.

Q. You’ve played 52 T20I matches till now, but are yet to debut in Tests. Do you want to specialise in the shorter formats?
I absolutely want to play Tests. Whenever I speak to Jassi bhai, he tells me tere ko teeno formats khelne hai (you have to play all the three formats). He tells me that you can enjoy the game in the shorter formats, but you can build your legacy in Tests. It’s the toughest format, but it’s a great format too, and I want to make by debut in Tests as soon as possible.

Q. You went to play county cricket with Kent last year. How has that shaped you as a player?
The biggest benefit of playing county is that it has immensely upped my confidence in my length ball and my stock delivery—the inswinger for a right-hander. While playing for the county, you have to bowl long spells, and hold your patience. Earlier, I would try a lot of variations in the shorter formats, but county cricket has taught me that if I bowl on the right length, it won’t be easy for the batter to hit me. The stint taught me which balls can fetch me wickets and which can be my defensive options. Even though I played only five matches, the learnings have been immense.