India beat Australia by six runs in defence of 160/8 in the fifth and final T20I on Sunday (Dec 3) at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. After being asked to bat first, India rode on Shreyas Iyer’s 53, Jitesh Sharma’s 24 (16) and Axar Patel’s 21-ball 31 to post a moderate total. In reply, Australia managed 154 for 8 with Ben McDermott top-scoring with 54.

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In the last over, India had only 10 runs to defend with skipper Matthew Wade in the middle. Stand-in captain Suryakumar Yadav gave the ball to Arshdeep Singh, who wasn’t economical till then having conceded 37 in his first three overs while claiming a wicket. SKY trusted Arshdeep as he is known for his death-over skills. The young pacer kept his cool and delivered in a crunch situation, ending with 0,0,W,1,1,1.

Former Indian cricketer Abhishek Nayar lauded the 24-year-old’s body language and his thinking, claiming that the speedster seemed ‘in control’.

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While reviewing the game at JioCinema, Nayar said, “He (Arshdeep) had conceded 37 runs in his first three overs, so he would have been under pressure, and he was not executing his yorkers. The most impressive thing for me was the short ball he used on the first ball.”

The ex-Mumbai Indians (MI) player further opined, “You saw Wade getting quite angry. He felt it was a wide. He challenged Wade’s mentality because sitting outside too, you were expecting him to bowl a yorker. From Arshdeep’s body language and his thinking, it seemed like he was in control.”

“We were watching from outside, Suryakumar Yadav was asking the entire audience to back Arshdeep because it’s not easy. We have seen how Wade has batted, and he was looking quite confident as well. 10 runs were needed, they were just one hit away, but the way Arshdeep executed the yorkers, especially against Wade, I believe he showed a lot of character,” Nayar added.

Arshdeep will now shift his focus on the forthcoming away T20Is versus South Africa, commencing on Dec 10 at Kingsmead, Durban. With T20 World Cup 2024 being the primary focus, the Punjab Kings (PBKS) pacer will be desperate to maintain consistency and book his spot in the WC squad. The mega event is slated to be held in June, in West Indies and USA.

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