Veteran India batter Cheteshwar Pujara has suggested a simple plan for Arshdeep Singh to counter Vaibhav Sooryavanshi when Punjab Kings face Rajasthan Royals on Tuesday night. With Rajasthan going through a dip in form after back-to-back defeats, a lot once again rests on Sooryavanshi to provide a fast start and set the tone at the top. The 15-year-old has already shown how destructive he can be, smashing a 36-ball century in the previous game against Sunrisers Hyderabad, even though Rajasthan ended up on the losing side. Throughout the season, he has taken on some of the biggest names in world cricket without hesitation, including Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins, attacking from the very first over.
Now, he comes up against Arshdeep Singh, who has begun to find his rhythm again in the last couple of matches after a slightly quiet phase. The left-arm pacer will be a key weapon for Punjab Kings as they look to break Rajasthan’s top order early and keep Sooryavanshi quiet before he settles in.
Pujara has broken down the key tactical battle that could shape the contest between Arshdeep and Sooryavanshi in the upcoming PBKS vs RR clash. With the youngster already making headlines for his fearless strokeplay, the matchup against a left-arm pacer like Arshdeep adds an intriguing layer to the contest.
“Arshdeep, I think he, being a left-arm seamer, will come over the stumps for Vaibhav. He will have to ensure that he bowls that middle and off stump plan, where the ball is going away from him. We have seen that when Moshin was bowling against Vaibhav, he got that success against him. Arshdeep will have to do similar thing,” Pujara said on Star Sports.
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“Try to utilise slower deliveries”
Building on his tactical read of the matchup, Pujara went a step further to outline the exact lengths and variations Arshdeep should look to employ if he wants to keep Sooryavanshi in check early in the innings.
“Try and bowl back of length on middle and off stump line. Try to keep hitting that channel more often, and also try to utilise his slower deliveries because Arshdeep has very good slower deliveries. Try to use yorkers in between if needed. But early on, I think first four or five deliveries, just try and hit that back of length on middle and off stump,” he added.