Arshdeep Singh spoke at a press conference before the third ODI against New Zealand on Wednesday, when he responded to a surprising remark made by his head coach Rahul Dravid earlier in the T20 World Cup.
Arshdeep has performed admirably in the game’s shortest format.
Arshdeep Singh reacts to Rahul Dravid’s statement
Arshdeep Singh’s career in Indian cricket has been fantastic thus far. Arshdeep was not on Team India’s radar until the IPL 2022 when they were looking to make a fresh start in T20Is. He got his India cap a few weeks later, and there was no turning back because he not only made the World Cup squad, but he is now one of India’s essential members of the format.
Arshdeep reacted to head coach Rahul Dravid‘s surprising remark during the T20 World Cup earlier this month, comparing the youngster to Jasprit Bumrah, ahead of the third ODI against New Zealand on Wednesday.
Dravid was asked about Arshdeep’s progress before the crucial encounter against Bangladesh in the T20 World Cup group stage. He said that Arshdeep’s ascent has left him quite impressed, drawing a comparison to Bumrah.
“Obviously, Bums (Bumrah) was one of our guys who was pencilled into bowl two of those (last five) overs. It was really heartening for us to see the way young Arshdeep has developed over the last few months,” Dravid said.
“If you were to ask me in November (last year) when I first took over and I had a list of bowlers in my mind, sure, Arshdeep was there, but he was – certainly he hadn’t had that kind of IPL. He had had one good IPL. But the way he’s come along after that, he’s come and forced his way into the side and done really well. That’s a fantastically heartening thing to see,” he added.
Before the third One-Day International against New Zealand, Arshdeep was questioned by the media about Dravid’s remark.
“Usually players don’t think about all these because we love this sport and we try to enjoy our time and keep playing for the team. I don’t think about whether it was difficult or easy. And when I perform well I feel good about myself. I never came in with the thought that I would want to be the main bowler. I tend to only focus on the match that will happen next,” Arshdeep replied.
