In a generation where India’s fast-bowling depth is arguably the strongest it has ever been, Arshdeep Singh has quietly built a name for himself as one of the most reliable and versatile pacers in Indian cricket. Known for his swing with the new ball and laser-guided yorkers, the 26-year-old has become India’s death-over specialist and recently etched his name in the record books as the first Indian bowler to take 100 wickets in T20 Internationals.
Speaking on Breakfast with Champions, Arshdeep reflected on the inspiration behind his success, giving credit to both Pakistan legend Wasim Akram and Indian ace Jasprit Bumrah for shaping his craft of bowling. The Punjab seamer admitted that his art has been developed by observing Bumrah closely and from studying Akram’s artistry with the old ball.
It is a blessing to have a legendary bowler like Jasprit Bumrah alongside you and Arshdeep made the most of it. In fact, the duo of Arshdeep and Bumrah was quite superb and key in India’s T20 World Cup 2024 triumph. In fact, since Arshdeep’s debut in July 2022, no other bowler (full-member nations) has taken more T20I wickets than him. Arshdeep currently has 101 scalps at an average of 18.76.
Learning from Bumrah, admiring Wasim Akram
Arshdeep’s evolution has been massive. He began his professional journey in the IPL during the Covid era and rose rapidly to become one of India’s most dependable white-ball bowlers. When asked about the precision of his yorkers, he was quick to point towards his senior teammate.
“So the vending machine or whatever the highest level is, it goes to Jassie (Jasprit Bumrah) bhai. That goes to him. After that yes, if you press the yorker button in such a vending machine if the ball falls somewhere close, if the batter gets out or does not go for a six, then yes, you can put me in that. So all the credit goes to Jassie bhai for the way I bowl,” Arshdeep said.
He also revealed that his fascination with yorkers began long before he shared a dressing room with Bumrah. “All left-arm pacers that are there on YouTube, I don’t think I’ve missed anyone’s video yet. If I used to watch yorkers, I really liked Wasim Akram’s compilation video. In all the videos, he was hitting only the stumps. A lefty throwing these in-swings in reverse swing to a righty, I used to enjoy it a lot,” Arshdeep said, adding that he also studied Zaheer Khan and Lasith Malinga to understand the nuances of control and repetition.
Fastest to 100 T20I wickets (fast bowlers)
- 64 innings – Arshdeep Singh*
- 66 innings – Rizwan Butt
- 69 innings – Haris Rauf
- 71 innings – Bilal Khan
- 72 innings – Mark Adair
The post Arshdeep Singh credits Pakistan’s Wasim Akram & Jasprit Bumrah for success appeared first on Inside Sport India.