Arshdeep Singh expresses himself without offending influential people or hurting their feelings with a remarkable talent for finding humor in situations where there isn’t much to be happy about.
The left-arm bowler, who has been in and out of the Indian team since Gautam Gambhir became head coach, was questioned about how the frequent chopping and changing affected him.
“Jaise main team se in and out hota hoon uska advantage bhi hai. Mera ball bhi in and out jaata hai (Being in and out of the team has its own set of advantages. Like I am in and out of the team, my ball is also coming in and going out). So I am enjoying that,” Arshdeep grinned and reminded everyone that his ability to swing the ball both ways hasn’t been impacted in the slightest by his non-selection.
Since Gambhir took over as coach in July 2024, Arshdeep, who has taken 111 wickets in 73 Twenty20 Internationals and is still India’s most prolific wicket-taker in the shortest format, has frequently been sacrificed for team combinations.
Despite his stellar record, Arshdeep was benched for a significant portion of the Asia Cup and participated in 13 of India’s 21 Twenty20 Internationals in 2025. More seriously, the 26-year-old emphasized his professional approach to readiness and selection.
“My job is to remain ready and whenever team wants me to bowl in any format with new or old ball, I can give my best. My aim is to enjoy the journey, remain in present and focus on the controllable. What is not in my control (selection), I shouldn’t be bothered about it,” a PTI report quoted Arshdeep as saying at the press conference after India’s 48-run win against New Zealand in the first T20I in Nagpur on Wednesday.
Arshdeep also discussed the difficulty of bowling on placid wickets and adjusting to various match conditions.
“When you find a good batting pitch, you have a prayer on your lips, ‘Please God save me today’. The plans are chalked out at the team meetings and on the game day, our job is to execute that plan. If you stick to your plans and execute them properly, more often than not, you get results,” he explained.
“We need to know what works on a particular strip against a specific batter. In the end, you should be satisfied about your strategy and if it doesn’t work, you get to know it when there is a change of plan in the next match.”
Arshdeep believes that mental and tactical adaptability is still crucial for the squad.
“Strategy changes depending on conditions. Plans are made based on opposition, kind of total on the board, and we adapt accordingly. The key is to remain flexible, which is the main moto of the team. Whether you are called at the start, middle or finish, you need to remain ready.”
On a lighter note, Arshdeep joked that marauder Abhishek Sharma prefers to avoid facing him in the nets—something the pacer says he doesn’t mind at all.
“He (Abhishek) would always say, ‘I do not want to bat against you guys’. It’s good for us that we don’t have to bowl to him. I have played a lot of cricket with him and watching him dominate at this level feels good,” Arshdeep concluded.
