Arshdeep Singh offered a wry smile as he heard a fairly obvious question asked of a bowler before a T20I at the Chinnaswamy Stadium. How did he expect to prevail at a ground with infamously smaller boundaries? His answer offered an insight into the mind of a modern T20 bowler.

“As bowlers, we feel, we have nothing to lose here. The batsmen are always eyeing more and more boundaries, and that’s where we get an opening in the game – you can get more wickets. I guess, when the wicket is flat and the boundaries are short, there are more options of getting the wickets, so you’re always on your toes,” India’s left-arm quick said ahead of the third T20I against Afghanistan in at the Chinnaswamy Stadium on Tuesday.

It’s an ideology that hasn’t dawned upon Arshdeep – a T20 regular for India since the last World Cup – recently. Last IPL, after delivering a death overs bowling masterclass on a belter – conceding only two runs in the last over when Mumbai needed 16 – Arshdeep had offered a similar insight into his process. “Don’t run after wickets, the batter will make mistakes.” A bowling equivalent of MS Dhoni’s finishing mantra to wait for the bowler to commit an error.

However, T20 cricket is not entirely played on chessboard and with a World Cup in less than six months time, Arshdeep was vocal about adding a new delivery to his arsenal. “I’m working on a new ball that’ll help me on slower wickets. I’d tried it in the last (T20I vs Afghanistan) – leg cutter types to the lefties. As I get more confident with it, I’ll start using it more frequently in games,” the 24-year-old said.

A tale of two run-outs in the last over of the Afghanistan innings.

Watch here ????????#INDvAFG @IDFCFIRSTBank pic.twitter.com/fMo89lIpmJ

— BCCI (@BCCI) January 14, 2024

Wicketless in Mohali, Arshdeep would claim three in Indore and has been India’s leading T20I wicket-taker since his debut in July 2022. Armoured with his ability to swing the new ball either ways and having proven his prowess as a death overs bowler more often than not, Arshdeep remains one of the prime contender to make the final cut for the T20 World Cup this year.

Having dealt with his fair share of criticism following expensive spells during his short time in Indian colors, Arshdeep emphasized that the past 12 months have made him an even better bowler.

“There have been very poor spells as well, but I’d say I’ve learnt a lot from them. I’m getting a lot of backing from the support staff and the team. My goal is to make sure that my performances can be more balanced and consistent to help the team secure good results,” Arshdeep said.

Making a stronger WC case with the bat

Also making a stronger case for him is his newly acquired knack of hitting the ball.

“Last game I was batting at 10, according to the sheet, and I wasn’t very happy. I thought I could be batting higher and had a chat with the batting coach as well,” Arshdeep humored ahead of the third T20I.

During a recent Ranji Trophy Pool C against Karnataka, in Hubli, the southpaw had bashed the opposition for four sixes across the two innings. A familiar sight was in the offering during his short county stint with Kent last year.

“Batting-wise, I’ve gotten a free hand. When you play at 10-11, you can score freely for the team. I’ve got that freedom here (with India) as well but I get fewer chances to bat. And the bowlers are also constructing more plans against me since I’ve hit a few maximums recently,” Arshdeep tells.