Arshdeep’s ability to absorb pressure stands out : Mhambrey

Arshdeep Singh had two consecutive standout seasons in the Indian Premier League and that propelled him to the Indian set-up pretty fast. In the two matches against the West Indies, he has showcased his ability to translate the same performance to international level without being overawed by the emotions. 

Arshdeep gave away four and six runs respectively in the 17th and 19th overs in the second T20I at the Warner’s Park to keep India in the game but Devon Thomas hitting a six and four in the last over off Avesh Khan meant Windies romped home. However, his performance was enough to get the approval of bowling coach Paras Mhambrey, who lauded his composure and the ability to soak in the pressure.

“I’ve been watching him for a long time now, since the IPL as well,” Mhambrey said in the post-match press conference. “Something that really stood out for me was his ability to absorb pressure. If you look at it, he bowls the hard overs, the overs in the powerplay and also at the death. In terms of the composure he has shown, I’m very happy, especially the way he turned up in the last game as well.

“This game, the 17th over he bowled, showed a lot about the ability that he has. I’m very happy to see him deliver for the team,” he added.

Windies needed 10 runs to win in the last over, and instead of handing the ball to Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who had conceded just 12 runs in two overs and had the experience of bowling in crunch situations, Rohit Sharma gave the ball away to Avesh Khan. That plan backfired with Devon Thomas hitting a six and four to finish the game for the Caribbean nation. After Rohit Sharma defended the decision, Mhambrey revealed that they were trying out various options to prepare the unit for the upcoming World Cup in Australia.

”It’s all part of our preparation for the World Cup. We are looking at different options that we have and giving opportunity to youngsters to find out who does the job for us.”