My mantra is to not expect anything and be ready for everything: Arshdeep

Arshdeep Singh, set to play for Kent this summer, is keen on doing well in red-ball cricket also.
| Photo Credit: PTI

In the last two seasons of the Indian Premier League, Arshdeep Singh has been one of the standout bowlers. In 2021, he claimed 18 wickets at an economy rate of 8.27 and in 2022, he scalped 10 wickets at a rate of 7.70, an astonishing figure for a death-overs specialist.

The performances helped the left-arm seamer make his T20I debut against England in Southampton last July. He has since become a regular in the shortest format, and as a brand new IPL season beckons, the 24-year-old Punjab Kings bowler is keen to impress again.

“My mantra is to not expect anything and be ready for everything,” said Arshdeep, on the sidelines of an event organised by Parimatch Sports, a sportswear brand, on Tuesday. “The last two years helped me mentally…to believe in my skills. Watching the results come through gave me confidence and now I know I can do well at this level.”

The two matches against Pakistan were instructive. In the Asia Cup Super Four encounter, Arshdeep dropped a sitter off Asif Ali, with the latter going on to play a winning hand. But in his first T20 World Cup match, he blew away Pakistan’s top-order (3/32), setting up a memorable win that culminated with a Virat Kohli special (82 n.o.).

“When you play for India, you already have some amount of confidence. Performing in that match helped me increase that. You tend to believe that you can win games, be it in domestic cricket, IPL or the World Cup.”

While Arshdeep has established his credentials in T20s, he is unwilling to be straitjacketed. He has signed up to play in whites for English county side Kent this summer.

“I have played only played seven red-ball games. So I am looking forward to exploring what else I have in the bag and bring to the table… what my wicket-taking balls are and how I can apply pressure. It’s an environment I have never been to before and I can learn a lot.”