Former Indian opener Gautam Gambhir hailed young Indian pacer Arshdeep Singh for his outstanding fast bowling against South Africa in the series finale on Thursday. The left-arm bowler was named player of the series for his impressive bowling throughout the series against the quality South African batters.
Arshdeep Singh was the standout bowler for India in the three-match ODI series against South Africa, taking the wickets of Reeza Hendricks, Tony de Zorzi, Keshav Maharaj, and Lizaad Williams.
With his help, India restricted Proteas to 218 in 45.5 overs despite defending 296. As India begins to tentatively prepare for the next 50-over World Cup in 2027, he must be kept in the mix going forward.
During the discussion in Star Sports, Gautam Gambhir was asked about Arshdeep Singh’s spell, The former Indian opener believes that Arshdeep Singh’s performance is a great sign for Indian Cricket and believes that the left-arm pacer adds a different dimension to the entire bowling attack and added that he can take a lot of confidence from this series.
“These are good signs for Indian cricket when young fast bowlers perform like this when there wasn’t that much help for fast bowling. What can be better than picking up 10 wickets in the series?”
“We always say that a left-arm seamer should be in the squad, that a left-arm seamer gives a different dimension. The sort of series Arshdeep has had, I believe he will take a lot of confidence from this,” Gautam Gambhir said.
Arshdeep Singh has been the best bowler for India in the highly fought series after finishing with 10 wickets from three games at an economy rate of 3.51, including a five-wicket haul at Johannesburg’s New Wanderers Stadium and would be keen on taking up the opportunity in ODI team in the future.
Overall Arshdeep Singh Performed Exceptionally Well – Gautam Gambhir
Gautam Gambhir praised Arshdeep Singh for taking vital wickets of Reeza Hendricks and Tony de Zorzi. Singh proved to be a game-changer for India and believes that left-arm bowlers bowled exceptionally well in the series decider, where there was little support for the fast bowlers.
“For me, Reeza Hendricks was the wicket of the game because of the way the ball went away after pitching and the way he dismissed him. Arshdeep normally tries to swing the ball and likes to bring it in but here because there wasn’t much swing available, he used the scrambled seam.”
“Considering the way (Tony de) Zorzi was batting, it was the turning point of the match. He got a little reverse there. So overall Arshdeep performed exceptionally well, and today because there wasn’t too much help for the fast bowlers,” Gautam Gambhir added.
Arshdeep Singh is one of India’s most promising fast-bowling prospects. A left-arm fast bowler is a valuable weapon in any type of cricket.
The Punjab-born youngster can swing the ball in both directions a lot. At the end of innings, he expertly deploys cutters and yorkers. The 24-year-old is likely to partner Jasprit Bumrah in the 2024 T20 World Cup.