India’s left-arm fast bowler Arshdeep Singh credited his success in the third T20I against South Africa to sticking to the basics and exploiting helpful conditions in Dharamsala. Arshdeep took 2-13 in his four overs to set the base for a seven-wicket win over South Africa in the third T20I at the HPCA Stadium on Sunday and took home the Player of the Match award.
“Nothing changed. I just pitched the ball in the right areas and tried to get as much help from the wicket. There was some help in the wicket, the conditions were cold as well, so there was enough swing and seam. I just tried to keep it simple, hit the right areas, and got the reward,” said Arshdeep at the conclusion of the game.
He also talked about being pleased to bounce back after an off day in New Chandigarh. "When I walked onto the ground, everyone was telling me this is also your home ground. So the first thing I told them was, no, this is not my home ground - so that felt better.”
“After that, just sticking to the basics, doing the basics right, and trusting my skill set. When you play at this level, there are some days when you won’t execute the things you want to do. It was one off day (last game), so it feels nice to do this (bowl well in this game).”
Asked about the discussion on taking review against Reeza Hendricks, Arshdeep said, “It was Surya bhai who wanted to get some suspense in there. The moment it hit the pad, I knew it was out. When I got the approval from Jitesh as well, we knew we were going for the review.
He just wanted to wait, chat for a bit, and then take it.” Quizzed on the Dewald Brevis review, which didn’t happen, Arshdeep said, "As a bowler, you want to take every review possible (and burst into laughter). I felt it hit the pad twice, so that was the confusion.
Next time, I’ll take care of that." Wrist spinner Varun Chakaravarthy, who returned with figures of 2-11 and became the second fastest Indian to 50 men’s T20I wickets, admitted the cold conditions were a challenge but praised the team’s preparation. "I actually wasn’t aware of the milestone, so thank you for telling me.
It was doing a bit early on when the fast bowlers were bowling, there was some seam movement.” “But overall, the conditions were very tough. I’ve never played at a ground this cold, so I did find it quite challenging. No, not at all. This (chilly weather) can never happen in Chennai.”
Asked on what changed after the defeat in New Chandigarh, Chakaravarthy said, “We had a proper bowling meeting and some very honest conversations. We identified where we went wrong and focused on the right approach. Credit has to go to the management and the bowlers. It was a two-way discussion, and it worked really well.”
Asked about his mantra of success, Chakaravarthy said, “I was just trying to stick to my strengths. Today, the ball was skidding more than turning, so my focus was on skidding the ball on to the batter rather than trying to force too much turn. It feels really good (second fastest to 50 T20I wickets). As long as I’m playing for India and contributing with wickets, I’ll always feel good."