India’s surprising elimination from the T20 World Cup in 2022 came after they were defeated by England in the semifinals. The team lead by Rohit Sharma had an outstanding run throughout the competition and only dropped one game, to South Africa, in the Super 12 round. Even though Team India experienced intense fan backlash after being eliminated, they also benefited from the form of star batsman Virat Kohli and the explosive batting display of Suryakumar Yadav. In addition to all of this, teenage pacer Arshdeep Singh had a significant impact on the World Cup.
The 23-year-old pacer was India’s top wicket-taker in his first T20 World Cup, taking 10 wickets in six games. Arshdeep fully upheld his position and expertly replaced the shoes of the senior pacer in Jasprit Bumrah’s absence. Arshdeep’s performance in the prestigious ICC event completely delighted Australia great Brett Lee, who dubbed him his “new favourite left-arm bowler from India.” “We go back to only a few months ago when Jasprit Bumrah was ruled out of this T20 World Cup. Everyone thought huge shoes to fill, definitely true, he is a superstar of the game with his world-class yorkers. He is a three-format bowler, he bowls well at the death. But in cricket, as we know, one man’s absence is another man’s opportunity to shine. And this young man Arshdeep, he is playing first-ever World Cup event, on the big stage, he showed what he is made of. He is my new favourite left-arm pacer from India. I like what he has done,” said Brett Lee on his YouTube channel.
“Very often teams don’t know what to do with these young and breakout stars. We have seen it before when young players get involved and advices from players, TV, commentators, at the hotel. Every man means well but very often, too much advice can be counter-productive. So, I think Rahul Dravid and Rohit Sharma have the responsibility to shield Arshdeep Singh from this overdose of advice,” he added.
The former Australian also advised Arshdeep to focus on domestic cricket, in order to improve his cricketing skills. “Keep working on your skills in domestic cricket, because when there is no big World Cups, and you’re not playing Test cricket, there aren’t any spectators. This is where you have to shine. So this is what I believe what was the bread and butter of my career. Going back to First-Class cricket, enjoy the quietness of the crowd and hone and build those skills. If you can look after that, the high-level will follow,” said Brett Lee.