Johannesburg: India pacer Arshdeep Singh on Sunday played a key role in India's eight-wicket win over South Africa in the first ODI here and the Punjab speedster said that he was loving the moment. Due to Arshdeep's maiden five-wicket haul (5/37), India first bundled out South Africa for a paltry 116 and then romped home in just 16.4 overs. Senior batter Shreyas Iyer (52) and debutant Sai Sudharsan (55 not out) hit half-centuries as the chase was a walk in the park for the Men In Blue.
"I feel a little sore. (I am) loving this moment. (I) thank god and the team management. It is a little different than normal grounds as I was running out of breath. Personally, it feels good, I am enjoying my role," Arshdeep said at the post-match presentation.
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Scalping a 5⃣-wicket haul, Arshdeep Singh was on a roll with the ball & bagged the Player of the Match award as #TeamIndia won the first #SAvIND ODI. 👏 👏
— BCCI (@BCCI) December 17, 2023 " class="align-text-top noRightClick twitterSection" data="
Scorecard ▶️ https://t.co/tHxu0nUwwH pic.twitter.com/tkmDbXOVtg
">Scalping a 5⃣-wicket haul, Arshdeep Singh was on a roll with the ball & bagged the Player of the Match award as #TeamIndia won the first #SAvIND ODI. 👏 👏
— BCCI (@BCCI) December 17, 2023
Scorecard ▶️ https://t.co/tHxu0nUwwH pic.twitter.com/tkmDbXOVtgScalping a 5⃣-wicket haul, Arshdeep Singh was on a roll with the ball & bagged the Player of the Match award as #TeamIndia won the first #SAvIND ODI. 👏 👏
— BCCI (@BCCI) December 17, 2023
Scorecard ▶️ https://t.co/tHxu0nUwwH pic.twitter.com/tkmDbXOVtg
"I would thank (skipper) KL Rahul bhai as he said you have to come back and get that fifer. I guess it is about enjoying this moment," he added. Quizzed about the upcoming matches, Arshdeep quipped, "When we go there, then focus on what will work there."
Arshdeep Singh later revealed that he and pace-bowling partner Avesh Khan were actually planning on how to "restrict the brutal South Africa under 400".
"Axar (Patel), Avesh and I went for dinner last night and were discussing how brutal the Proteas can be when they wear pink jerseys, how they hit sixes," Arshdeep said at the post-match media interaction.
"We were just thinking about restricting them under 400, but when we saw purchase from the wicket, and a bit of moisture we just kept it simple and results fell in place. We got early wickets. The credit goes to Avesh as well, as he took the pressure off me and got wickets." added Arshdeep, who had gone without a wicket in three ODIs before this one. Avesh had figures of 8-3-27-4.
"Personally, I will rate this very highly. In ODIs, I didn't have any wicket and to get a fifer directly, I'm really grateful," he added.
The 24-year-old also revealed that his conversation with bowling coach Paras Mhambrey also helped him."It's not that type of wickets that you will get swing in the air. He (Paras Mhambrey) told me how to get help off the wicket, seam around the ball and beat the batsman (batter) with bounce. Also, on how to bowl with a scrambled seam, and grip the ball," he said.
"Normally, I bowl a lot away from the crease. But I bowled close to the stumps so as to get more LBW and clean-bowled chances. These small, small things helped. There was a bit of purchase from the wicket. I just backed my plans and got good results," he noted.
He also added that his county experience with Kent had given him that "extra bit" of confidence. "My country stint wasn't very fruitful, I didn't get many wickets there, but it helped me understand my game, how I can contain the batters. I've learnt how to recover, how to train, (and) how to maintain my fitness. Playing county helped me big time. It gives you that extra bit of confidence and self-belief. Even in the IPL, when you play with international superstars you believe that you belong to the stage. It becomes easier to blend at this level and perform," he concluded.
Meanwhile, India skipper KL Rahul said that he was "happy" with the win."(It is) good to have a win under the belt. Completely different to what we expected. The plan was to get the spinners in the game. The boys did well to stay disciplined. The ball kept moving around."
"There is a lot of cricket being played. You prioritise one format. For now, it is Tests and T20s. Everyone is performing and trying to do well for the country. Good chance for them to get a taste of international cricket" added Rahul, who plays for Karnataka in domestic cricket.
South African captain Aiden Markram credited the Indian bowlers for their show. "We were behind from the very first ball. Couldn't recover. We expected it to go around a little bit. In the first six-seven overs, it does do a bit. Today, it lasted a little longer and they bowled well."
The second ODI will be played on December 19 at St George's Park at Gqeberha and it will be a day-night game.
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