NEWS
Follow UsIndia have been nearly flawless in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 so far, winning six games in a row and securing a spot in the semi-finals as the top-seeded team. In their last Super Eight match against Australia, India encountered the best batting wicket of the tournament, amassing 205 runs before restricting the Aussies to 181/7, thereby setting up a semi-final clash with England.
While the batters were clinical against Australia, particularly Rohit Sharma, the bowling efforts of Jasprit Bumrah and Arshdeep Singh on a challenging wicket played a decisive role in the match. The wind provided extra assistance to the batters, a challenge the Indian pacers managed really well.
“As a player, as a team, our motto is to adapt to the conditions,” Arshdeep Singh said in the post-match press conference. “When we were bowling from this end, we were getting good support from the wind and the ball was swinging.
“But when you are bowling from the other end you have to run against the wind and you have to see because batsmen were trying to hit shots from that side and the sixes were travelling from that side - so what is your defensive option there and how you should not bring the wind in play and how you should be defensive from that side and attack from this side.
“It's not about how easy it was; if you play well and adapt to the conditions, it will help you in the future. We played two matches in the past and there was a lot of wind in the air. We are used to it now and we have an idea how to handle it.”
While Jasprit Bumrah has seldom been out of form, this World Cup has been exceptional for the Gujarat pacer. In six games, Bumrah has taken 11 wickets at an average of 8.54 and an economy rate of 4.08.
However, somewhat hidden amidst Bumrah's dominance is the impressive performance of Arshdeep Singh, who has claimed 15 wickets, making him the second-highest wicket-taker in the tournament. Arshdeep, however, was quick to share credit.
“I guess a lot of credit goes to Jasprit because he puts a lot of pressure on the batters,” the Punjab pacer said. “He gives what, three or four runs in and over. So, batsmen are coming hard against me and when they are trying, I just have to try and bowl my best ball and there are a lot of chances of getting wickets there because, on the other end, they see the runs are not coming and the asking rate is going high.
"They take more risk against me and there's a chance always of getting a wicket there. I guess there's a lot of credit that goes to, of my wickets, that goes to Jasprit,” the Punjab pacer added.
Before this match, there was much discussion about Virat Kohli's and Rohit Sharma's form. While Kohli once again failed, getting out for a duck, Rohit seized the opportunity, smashing the Aussie bowlers for a magnificent 92 runs. Arshdeep said it was only a matter of time.
“As a team, we always discuss in the dressing room that individual scores matter less as long as the team performs well. We always knew Rohit is a legend, and a big innings was always around the corner. So, his performance today didn't surprise us; we hope he continues in the same vein in the upcoming matches,” said the 25-year-old.
If you’ve not downloaded the Cricket.com app yet, you’re missing out — big time. Play Fantasy on Cricket.com NOW! Download the App here.
