Arshdeep cashing in on experience of new-ball bowling

Arshdeep Singh's chaotic journey in T20Is will reach its culmination point at the Chinnaswamy Stadium during the third match against Afghanistan on Wednesday, and he is banking on the recent experience of bowling with the new-ball to ace the latest test of his skills.

Arshdeep took four wickets from as many matches against the Aussies last year, but in each of those matches he conceded 41, 46, 44 and 40 runs in four overs.

But against South Africa and Afghanistan, the left-arm pacer had relatively better outings -- four wickets across four matches at an acceptable overall economy of eight.

Those performances offered a microcosm of Arshdeep's efforts from January 5, 2023 to January 14, 2024 as his economy oscillated between 7.5 and above 10.

The Punjab man accepted that his journey was a mixed bag during the above-mentioned period.

"The last 12 months have been a mixed bag (of experience). There were a few good performances and I got to learn something new.  I have been backed by the management as well as by the team and I try to learn new things every day. There were a few ups and downs as well, making my performances neutral," Arshdeep said during the pre-match press meet on Tuesday.

The pacer said experience of bowling with the new ball in the absence of senior pros like Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammad Siraj has helped him develop as a bowler.

"Specifically, I recently started (bowling) with new ball, especially on slow wickets. In the last match, I tried a few variations, especially against left-handers, and it worked and it gave me some confidence. Otherwise, I am trying to sharpen my skills," he added.

Arshdeep said the role clarity within the team has helped him to gain in experience even when he was struggling a bit with the ball.

"Players' roles are defined. As a bowler, you know, you have to bowl at the start and middle overs. When there is clarity, you come up with good performances,” he added.

The 24-year-old said even though India have already bagged the series 2-0, it won't stop him and the team to continue seeking improvement.

"Mindset as a team doesn't work on what the series scoreline and what happened in the last matches. The main motive is to get used to the ground, adapt quickly. We can look at improving and developing match skills," said Arshdeep.

The Chinnaswamy often tests the skills and endurance of a bowler with its flat deck and short boundaries, but Arshdeep saw it as an advantage.

"We feel there is nothing to lose here. Batsmen are under pressure because of the feeling that they have to score more boundaries and that is where as a bowler you are in the game. You can get more wickets."

Arshdeep also said he will focus on the World Cup only when the moment arrives, as other matches, including the IPL 2024, are dominating his thought process at the moment.

Arshdeep said that he is working on his batting regularly. He said that he tries to contribute with the bat if he gets the chance and tries to hit a four or six in the crunch situations.

"I have been working regularly on my batting and in the last game I was batting at 10 according to the team sheet...I thought I will bat at nine and had a chat with the batting coach as well. Whenever I get the opportunity, I try to contribute to the team, be it a boundary, be it a single. I try to hit a four or a six on a crunch situation," he said.

"I play whenever or wherever I get a chance to play cricket whether it's red ball or white ball. There's one thing that when you come from Ranji after bowling a lot of overs from the red ball, you don't have a problem while bowling from the white ball. In the domestic team, I have got free hand as I bat at ten or eleven and here also (one) gets a free hand but I get fewer chances here (India)," he added.