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Arshdeep Singh did not look like his usual self during practice sessions ahead of the clash between the Punjab Kings and Royal Challengers Bengaluru. Punjab Kings' head of sports science, Andrew Leipus, revealed that he has been struggling with his physical fitness.
The Punjab Kings currently have 13 points from 12 matches and are slotted in the 4th position in the points table. Arshdeep Singh has picked up 13 wickets this season from 12 games, but his economy has been whoppingly high.
The pacer has lacked the ability to nail his yorkers in the death or land his crunch bouncers in the right area. The PBKS management has cited this as one of the many reasons for their sudden dip despite a good start in the tournament.
Arshdeep Singh was spotted in an intense conversation with head coach Ricky Ponting
Arshdeep Singh did not look like his usual self during practice in Dharamshala on the eve of the do-or-die clash between the Punjab Kings and the Royal Challengers Bengaluru. Punjab Kings have lost five matches in a row after a promising start to the tournament.
Instead of indulging in the usual roles and in intense conversations with the Punjab Kings head coach, Ricky Ponting. He was a man built up on warrior-like resilience on the field and known to keep a cool temperament when off the field.
'There are restrictions on his body.': PBKS head of sports science updates on Arshdeep's condition
One of the major reasons for this distress for the PBKS pacer is the ongoing controversies on social media and bowling on flat pitches. PBKS management has also been hunting for answers, and probably the left-arm pacer is not at his optimum best physically.
“We’ve been working together a little bit and looking at his body to see if there are any restrictions in his body that might be a reason for some of his performances being up and down. We think we’ve hit on a bit of a winner there. He’s been feeling a lot better in the last couple of weeks, physically,” Andrew Leipus, Punjab Kings’ head of sports science, responded to a query from TOI here.
Despite external chatter, Arshdeep has been his very best in the PBKS dressing room, claims Andrew Leipus
Leipus did not dismiss the chatter going around Arshdeep Singh and his off-field actions; however, he pointed out that, despite that, his dressing room spirit has been exceptional. Leipus asserted that Captain Shreyas Iyer and Arshdeep Singh have shown exceptional calmness as leaders in that dressing room.
“I know there’s been a bit of chatter behind the scenes of various things going on—vlogging and whatnot. In terms of his behaviour and attitude, Arsh is pretty much a flat line. He's not up or down. He gives his best out there. He’s a very loud person in the dressing room. That hasn't changed. He’s very calm,” Leipus claimed.
“One of the best things the ICC ever did was take phones away. When you're in that team environment, it's not an issue. It’s outside when it becomes an issue. I've heard rumours. I think potentially it is something that needs to be addressed,” he added.
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