IND vs SA 2022: "The best part about his spell was that he was able to swing the ball both ways" - Aakash Chopra praises Arshdeep Singh's new-ball prowess

Former India batter Aakash Chopra believes Arshdeep Singh showed that he is adept at bowling with the new ball after a spectacular spell in the first T20I against South Africa on Wednesday, September 28. The left-arm pacer was adjudged the Player of the Match for his figures of 3-32, with all three wickets coming in his first over itself.

Arshdeep returned to the playing XI as senior bowlers Jasprit Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar Kumar were absent. The Punjab-born pacer made an instant impact by dismissing Quinton de Kock. He followed it up with the wickets of Rilee Rossouw and David Miller.

Stating that Arshdeep showed his ability with the new ball in the contest, Chopra said on his YouTube channel:

"There was really a perception that Arshdeep Singh is only suited to bowling at the death, and that he is not really an option with the new ball."

Chopra continued:

"We all thought he would bowl one over at the top, he swung the ball very well. The best part about his spell was that he was able to swing the ball both ways."

Arshdeep was not part of the three-match T20I series against Australia. He was at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru for some rehabilitatiton work ahead of a busy run of fixtures.

"India are going through a 19th over jinx at the moment" - Aakash Chopra

The left-arm seamer bowled three overs on the trot in the powerplay itself. He returned to the attack to bowl the penultimate over of the innings, which went for 16 runs to dent his figures slightly.

Keshav Maharaj hit three boundaries to help South Africa cross the 100-run mark.

India have struggled to keep the run-flow in check in the death overs of late. The likes of Bhuvneshwar, Harshal Patel, and Bumrah have conceded aplenty at the back end of the innings in the recent past.

Remarking that irrespective of the bowler, India are conceding heavily in the penultimate over of the innings, Chopra said:

"We have not seen him swing the ball into the left-hander much. But, the 19th over was expensive again this time. India are going through a 19th over jinx at the moment. Whoever is bowling that over, is going for runs. Even Arshdeep, who had such a fantastic day with the ball, went for runs."

India have a couple more matches to resolve their death bowling issues. The second T20I of the series is scheduled to take place on Sunday, October 2, in Guwahati.

Can Arshdeep Singh now be considered a reliable option with the new ball? Let us know what you think.