The Lucknow Super Giants bagged a 20-run win against the Punjab Kings at Pune’s Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium on Friday night.
After a tough day for the Kings, pacer Arshdeep Singh, who finished with economical figures of 4-0-23-0 on that night, addressed the media about the game and more. Below are some talking points.
Game’s turning point
The Punjab Kings bowlers did well to restrict LSG to a total of 153/8 in their 20 overs but Lucknow came out with a stronger bowling performance to restrict the Kings to 133/8. Singh spoke about where, in his opinion, the game steered towards the Giants’ side. “I feel they (LSG) bowled well. They didn’t give too many loose balls. And I guess, we lost a few quick wickets at the top early on,” Singh said.
He further explained, “Had we stuck on for longer in the game and not lost wickets, we might have seen a different result.”
The way ahead
With four wins from nine games, and five matches left to go, the Punjab Kings have eight points and are currently at the seventh position on the points table. Asked about the team’s playoffs chances, “We aim to win every game now,” Singh said.
“If we follow the processes we set, replicate what we can produce in our practice sessions and execute them well, the results will also be positive. We will give our 100% effort going forward and will get good results,” Singh elaborated.
A bowler’s game
The second half of the Tata Indian Premier League 2022 has become more of a bowler’s game, with low-scoring totals and tight bowling to keep the batters under pressure. Singh voiced his thoughts on assessing games like these over batter-specific games.
He said, “If you take this Pune pitch for instance, bowlers get a lot of help throughout the game, especially in the starting, during the powerplay, where we try to take wickets. On other grounds, it’s easier to grip the ball now. So bowlers have started using the wicket to their advantage,” he said.
He also spoke of understanding where runs come from in order to attack a batter better. “The team, the bowlers and the coaches try to analyse which part of the boundary the most runs have come from, and set their fields accordingly. Thus, as the league progresses, scoring gets trickier,” the left-arm bowler said.
Singh has been economical in the league, both in the current and former season. He opened up about his performances in the last couple of years in the Tata IPL. “I am not rating myself in any way right now. I just want to ensure the team wins right now,” a smiling Singh said.
“I am happy with my performance, but a sportsperson is never satisfied with their performance. I am grateful for the opportunities I’ve gotten and whenever I have a chance, I am doing the best I can for my team. I hope to continue doing well,” he said.
Singh added, “We don’t dwell on individual performances much here, this is a team sport. You are assigned a role by the team and you have to stick to it, perform well and bring good results for the team. This is my aim.”
Arshdeep Singh has been a vital part of the Punjab Kings outfit for the last two years now. And this year too, he has not disappointed. We hope to see more of him during the team’s next game, against the Gujarat Titans on May 3 at the DY Patil Stadium.
