Team India pacer Arshdeep Singh joked that he turns to God for help each time he has to bowl on a flat pitch. Striking a more serious tone, he stressed that whatever the conditions, bowlers are expected to back their plans and execute them with discipline.
India registered a comprehensive 48-run win over Latest Zealand on the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium in Nagpur on Wednesday, January 21, within the opening T20I of the five-match series. Asked to bat first, the hosts piled up an imposing 238/7, powered by Abhishek Sharma’s blistering 84 off 35 balls and an unbeaten 44 off 20 from Rinku Singh.
In reply, Latest Zealand were restricted to 190/7, with Varun Chakaravarthy and Shivam Dube picking up two wickets apiece. Arshdeep Singh also delivered a tidy spell, ending with figures of 1/31 from his 4 overs.
Arshdeep Evenly Jokes About Bowling On Flat Wicket After Match Press Conference
Addressing the media after the match, the left-arm seamer shared his views on the challenges of bowling on flat surfaces, quipping:
“To start with, I take God’s name. Wicket flat lag rahi hai bhagwanji, aaj thoda bacha lena (the wicket is looking flat God, please save me today).”
Striking a more serious note, the 26-year-old elaborated further:
“All of the planning happens within the meeting. On game day, your goal is about executing your plans.”
Arshdeep, providing an in depth evaluation of the pitch, acknowledged the presence of dew in the course of the second innings. He, nonetheless, emphasised that skilled teams don’t raise grievances regarding conditions and remain focused on fulfilling their responsibilities. The fast bowler elaborated:
“There was decent amount of dew, but when you find yourself playing at this level, you’ve gotten to adapt quickly. The wicket was good for batting. There was some dew factor. The ball was racing off the outfield. But good teams adapt to dew and the wicket.”
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