Team India pacer Arshdeep Singh joked that he turns to God for help whenever he has to bowl on a flat pitch. Striking a more serious tone, he stressed that regardless of the conditions, bowlers are expected to back their plans and execute them with discipline.
India registered a comprehensive 48-run win over New Zealand at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium in Nagpur on Wednesday, January 21, in 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, New Zealand were restricted to 190/7, with Varun Chakaravarthy and Shivam Dube picking up two wickets apiece. Arshdeep Singh also delivered a tidy spell, finishing with figures of 1/31 from his four overs.
Arshdeep Lightly 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:
“First of all, 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 the planning happens in the meeting. On game day, your target is about executing your plans.”
Arshdeep, providing a detailed analysis of the pitch, acknowledged the presence of dew during the second innings. He, however, emphasised that professional teams do not raise grievances regarding conditions and remain focused on fulfilling their responsibilities. The fast bowler elaborated:
“There was decent amount of dew, but when you are playing at this level, you have 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.”
Get the latest cricket news here, like us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter and Instagram for more such updates.
