Punjab Kings head coach Ricky Ponting has heaped praise on fast bowler Arshdeep Singh whose three wickets against Mumbai Indians on Thursday night were decisive in restricting the hosts to 195 at the Wankhede Stadium. His first wicket was his 100th in the IPL.
Arshdeep was at the top of his game right from the outset. In his second over, he took wickets of South African Ryan Rickelton and India T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav off successive deliveries. The way he lured Surya into a drive, only to be caught at short third, was particularly impressive. Late in the innings, Arshdeep also accounted for West Indian Sherfane Rutherford with a fabulous yorker to which the batter had no answer.
Also Read: Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar swayed by Shreyas Iyer’s ‘awareness, timing, fitness, and composure’
Ponting reckoned Arshdeep’s spell at the start of the innings was what influenced the outcome in a big way. Chasing 196 to win, PBKS comfortably won with seven wickets in hand and 21 balls to spare.
“We talk about people setting the tone; the way Arsh set the tone in the first over, swung the ball around, and put them on the back foot was exceptional,” Ponting said in the team celebration event after the match.
“Arsh, I know you’ve been going through what you consider a rough patch, but the rest of us don’t think so. The work you put in over the last couple of days to be able to do this straight away tonight was the reward. To be on the mark from the first ball, get two early wickets, and then come back at the end to do what you normally do. It’s a credit to your work,” he added.
Prabhsimran made an impression too!
After Arshdeep, it was the turn of Prabhsimran Singh to leave an indelible impression. He scored 80 not out off 39 balls and made the chase a walk in the park, to all intents and purposes. He was nicely aided by captain Shreyas Iyer, who scored a 35-ball 66. Ponting praised his opener for biding his time before cutting loose.
“The batting, I’m not starting to run out of appreciation for what we’re doing, but dear, we’re batting well. Prabh, I need to praise you because you didn’t get a lot of strike during the Powerplay. Most of your hard work had to be done outside of it, but you were so skillful, so calm, and so calculating. You’re batting as well as I’ve ever seen you bat,” the former Australia captain, who won back-to-back World Cups in 2003 and 2007, said.