Pacer Arshdeep Singh said he only focussed on sticking with his plan even as controlling the ball on the drop-in pitch in cloudy conditions was a big task for India quicks in their eight-wicket win against Ireland, in their T20 World Cup opener here.
Though India had an easy outing at the Nassau Country Stadium on Wednesday, dismissing Ireland for 96 in 16 overs and overhauling the target in 12.2 overs, Arshdeep conceded that controlling the swing was an onerous task and he banked on team-mate Jasprit Bumrah’s advice to overcome the issue.
“I made every effort to pitch the ball on the scrambled seam but the ball was swinging so much that it was hard to get it on the scrambled seam. Yes, there were a lot of wides from me,” conceded the left-armer, who bowled five wides but also took the prized wickets of openers Andy Balberine and skipper Paul Stirling in the third over.
“Jassi bhai (Bumrah), with his loads of experience, keeps telling us not to go after wicket. Just keep it simple, keep bowling in the right areas and whatever result comes it’s good… whether you are able to stop the flow of runs or get wickets,” said Arshdeep during the post-match press conference.
“Control means one should not get greedy, not to go after getting wickets. It was cloudy and the ball was swinging. At the start, the plan was to take advantage of that by bowling in the right areas and if they (Ireland) take risks then fine, but it will also give us better a chance to take wickets,” the left-armer said.
“The plan was to keep it simple and aim straight for the wicket to get more LBWs, clean bowled and caught-behind decisions, keep all the options open. And, if they go for a big slog or try going down the wicket, then it’s okay, but yeah we will keep bowling the same way.”
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With the pitch here becoming a hot topic of debate because of below-par scores, Arshdeep said for a bowler like him, he would rather focus on his process rather than look at the scoreboard.
“I guess, as bowlers, we back ourselves to defend anything and we make every effort to ensure whatever be the score that is our par score. (We) follow the process and not look too much at the scoreboard.”
“I have come here after playing the IPL, where 240 were par scores. When we talk about pitches, the main focus is what we can control because the pitch is the same for both teams. So, whichever team applies better and bowls better lengths will get better results.”
Arshdeep also denied there were talks in the dressing room regarding not going all out in the outfield in order to avoid injuries.
“No, nothing of this sort has been talked about. When the competition is on, you don’t think what sort of conditions there are. If there is a catch to be taken, you have to put your body on the line. We don’t think too much on those lines. The effort is to put as much preparation as possible, and that is what gives success.”
The lanky pacer said the team would approach the match against Pakistan here on Sunday in the same manner.
“It’s the same. Any team that is in front of you nothing changes. Our process remains the same, length will remain the same. As far as planning goes, we have to see what batter plays well in which position. It doesn’t matter what team is playing against you, we only think how best we can perform and give our best,” he said.
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