QUICK TAKE | Who Is Arshdeep Singh? Seven Things to Know About India’s Left-Arm Pace Star

1. Why is Arshdeep in the spotlight?

The left-arm seamer took 4/70 in ten overs as India dismissed New Zealand for 185 in the first ODI at Eden Park. He removed Will Young and Henry Nicholls inside the opening powerplay, giving India early control of the innings.

2. How close did he come to another career?

In 2017, when cricket opportunities were limited, his father suggested joining his elder brother in Canada. According to Punjab Kings’ account, Arshdeep asked for another year to prove himself. He subsequently earned selection for India’s victorious 2018 Under-19 World Cup squad.

3. What makes his bowling distinctive?

Arshdeep combines the angle of a left-arm delivery with new-ball swing and yorkers late in an innings. Those skills let captains use him at two demanding stages, when batters attack during the powerplay and when they seek boundaries at the finish.

4. What did he achieve alongside Bumrah?

At the 2024 T20 World Cup, Arshdeep took 17 wickets, sharing the tournament lead with Afghanistan’s Fazalhaq Farooqi. Bumrah won player of the tournament, while Arshdeep supplied wickets throughout India’s title-winning campaign. Their partnership gave opponents different challenges from either end.

5. Which World Cup over deserves remembering?

The penultimate over of the 2024 final against South Africa. Arshdeep conceded just four runs, leaving Hardik Pandya 16 to defend in the last over. His control helped India preserve their advantage at the most consequential moment of the tournament.

6. How has his breakthrough been recognised?

Arshdeep won the ICC Men’s T20I Cricketer of the Year award for 2024. It recognised a year in which his wicket-taking and performances under pressure helped establish him in India’s attack, just two years after his international debut against England in July 2022.

7. What did Auckland reveal about his development?

His wickets came through adapting his length to the surface. Arshdeep said India tried to hit the seam hard and exploit the bounce, with batters offering chances while attacking that length. The spell illustrated his ability to find wickets beyond the swinging new ball and the yorker.