It feels great to be part of Under-19 World Cup winning team: Arshdeep Singh

The tall and lanky pacer from Punjab, Arshdeep Singh, who reached his home after attending the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s (BCCI) dinner party, says it feels great to be a part of a World Cup-winning team.

Arshdeep bagged three wickets from two matches in the Under-19 World Cup in New Zealand. He will be now donning the Punjab jersey for the upcoming BCCI Under-23 ODI League quarterfinals to be played in Kanpur from February 9 (Friday).

“It feels great to be part of the U-19 World Cup winning team. Even though I got a chance to bowl in two matches, it was a moment to remember for me. Playing under captain Prithvi Shaw and coach Rahul Dravid was a dream come true for me,” Arshdeep told TOI.

Arshdeep started playing cricket five years back under coach Jaswant Rai at Guru Nanak Public School. He grabbed attention after bagging 19 wickets in five matches in the Punjab Inter-District ODI Championship. Arshdeep also returned with 13 wickets for Punjab in the Vinoo Mankad Trophy.

“I bowled to Prithvi and Shubman Gill at the nets when I was not playing and Rahul sir always told me to have patience. Listening to him and understanding how to execute the plans helped my confidence a lot. The only thing which I feared was speaking in English at the team meetings,” Arsheed maintained.

Arshdeep can bowl at 140kmph on a consistent basis and impressed everybody in the Challenger Trophy held in 2017.

The pacer in the form of Arshdeep also credited Paras Mhambrey for helping him and admitted meeting former Australian bowler Ryan Harris was a dream come true.

“Before the World Cup, I played in the Youth Asia Cup in Malaysia and it helped my game. Nagarkoti and Mavi bowled in excess of 145 kph in the World Cup and we would discuss bowling on New Zealand pitches. Our bowling coach, Paras Mhambrey sir, also helped me a lot. I also met the Australian coach, former fast bowler Ryan Harris, which was also a memorable experience. We have reached the quarter-finals in the U-23 League and my aim will be to help Punjab win the title,” Arshdeep added, who turned 19 on Monday.

To his parents, Darshan Singh and Baljit Kaur, his short stay at home mean making his favorite dish red lentils.

“When I was posted with CISF as part of CM’s security in Chandigarh, Arshdeep showed his interest in cricket. Later, when he would travel for matches, I quit my job since the CISF job was transferrable and joined a private firm in Ropar as it meant that I would stay at Kharar. It was his birthday yesterday and he spent it with his teammates and coaches. The World Cup medal is the biggest reward for us. His elder brother Akashdeep, who studies in Canada, and sister Gurleen Kaur, too, followed his matches,” Darshan concluded.

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