Cricket

'What a comeback!' - Twitter goes berserk as Arshdeep Singh breaks the back of South African batting in the first T20I

In the first India vs South Africa T20I, Arshdeep Singh broke the back of the South African batting picking up three wickets early on.

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Daniel S
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Arshdeep Singh

Arshdeep Singh (Source: Twitter)

The Indian team is playing the first game of the three-match T20I series against South Africa at Thiruvananthapuram, today. Indian captain, Rohit Sharma called it correctly at the toss and elected to field first. There were several changes made to the Indian playing eleven with Deepak Chahar coming in for Jasprit Bumrah and Arshdeep Singh replacing Bhuvneshwar Kumar.

The decision to bowl first was vindicated by the Indian seamers as they gave a dream start with the ball. After Deepak Chahar removed Proteas captain Temba Bavuma in the first over, it was Arshdeep Singh's turn to wreak havoc.

The Southpaw ran in to bowl the second over of the innings and got rid of the dangerous Quinton De Kock on the very second ball of the over. The wicketkeeper in an attempt to cut the ball edged it back onto his stumps. Rilee Rossouw also fell victim to a lethal outswinger from the seamer in the same over as he got out on a golden duck.

Singh further broke the back of the South African batting line-up by sending the swashbuckling David Miller back to the pavilion for a golden duck as well. South Africa were left reeling at 9/5 after 2.3 overs courtesy of Singh’s immaculate bowling.

The crowd was also left enthralled as the 23-year-old made the ball dance to his tunes. The Punjab pacer made his international debut against England at Southampton in July this year. He stamped his authority straight away as he began his career with a maiden over against the hard-hitter Jason Roy.

The left-arm-seamer was brought into the Indian team on the back of stellar performances in the Indian T20 league in the past three years. Singh has a stupendous ability to bowl pin-point yorkers at the death and keeps the batters guessing with his subtle variations. The southpaw will turn out to be a lethal weapon for the ‘Men in Blue’ at the World Cup next month after their recent struggle to contain runs during the slog overs in the Asia Cup.

Fans were highly impressed with Arshdeep’s marvellous bowling display. Here’s how they reacted to Arshdeep leaving the South African batters dumbfounded with his impeccable swing bowling:

IND vs SA India vs South Africa 2022