Fast bowlers are known to hunt in pairs. India’s latest combo of Jasprit Bumrah and Arshdeep Singh too are making their rivals dance to their tunes. It is a literal Bhangra being unleased on the pitch as Jasprit and Arshdeep make the cherry sing to their tune. It was no different on Tuesday night at the Barabati Stadium as the Indians bamboozled South Africa in the first T20I.
Chasing 176 for victory, the visitors crashed to 74 in 12.3 overs. Arshdeep finished with figures of two for 14 in 2 overs and Jasprit bagged two for 17 in 3 overs. The duo shares a good relationship.
“My relationship with him is very good. He’s a gentle senior, never harsh on youngsters and always very polite. Being Punjabi as well, it’s easy for both of us to gel. Bowling with him makes things easier for me because batters usually look to attack my overs. Even bad balls can get me wickets because they know they won’t get easy runs at the other end. It benefits me, and I absolutely enjoy bowling alongside him,” Arshdeep said on JioStar’s Cricket Live.
The star of the night was all-rounder Hardik Pandya, whose unbeaten half-century set up the win. The pacer also took a wicket. Former India player Robin Uthappa was all praise for the Baroda cricketer. “Here comes a guy returning from a break after an injury, and it doesn’t even feel like he’s been away. From ball one, it looked like he had never left. The first ball was a six, the third ball was a six, and he raced to a 24-ball fifty. Then he came on to bowl and picked up wickets again, including the crucial one of David Miller, a batter he has dismissed several times. For me, he is an out-and-out match-winner, someone who will be integral to India’s success at the World Cup or in any T20 format, whether for India, in the IPL, or in white-ball cricket overall. He brings balance no one else offers. And after a long time, India had Hardik playing alongside another fast-bowling all-rounder in Shivam Dube, which is rare for India,” Uthappa said on Cricket Live.
I have always tried to put my team first: Hardik
Hardik, on the other hand, is unfazed by it all. For him, it was another game and what mattered was how he could contribute to India’s win. “As a cricketer, I have never been fussy about what roles I have in the game. I have always been motivated to all the time make sure that it doesn’t matter what Hardik Pandya wants, it is about what India wants. The mindset helps me. I have always tried to put my team first. That is my biggest USP and that is what has helped me,” he said after the game. “I had to back my shots. I realised the wicket had a bit of spice. I had to be a bit gutsy. It was more about timing the ball not breaking the ball. I was very satisfied with the way I was batting.”
Asked about his targeting Keshav Maharaj, he said: “I knew he wouldn’t be going closer to Axar. I don’t think I was planning that. If it came in my arc, I was going for it. He took a chance, so did I. Mine was more calculative on that track. I tried to capitalise and it paid off. It is about gamesmanship and identifying the right bowlers and take the bowlers down. If it comes off, it looks good.”
Hardik has been battling fitness woes for quite sometime now and his performance on Tuesday was such a delight. “The last six-seven months have been great from my fitness point of view. These last 50 days, being away from loved ones, being at NCA, making sure that all these things are covered. It was satisfying when you come here, the results come like this,” he said.
