IND vs PAK 2022: "They cannot play him" - Netizens react as Arshdeep Singh's new-ball burst stuns Pakistan

Left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh delivered an impactful spell with the new ball during Team India's T20 World Cup 2022 encounter against Pakistan on Sunday, October 23.

Arshdeep struck on his very first ball, dismissing Pakistan skipper Babar Azam for a golden duck. The star batter was undone by the youngster's inswinging delivery and was dismissed leg before in the second over of the contest.

The 23-year-old provided India with yet another massive breakthrough by getting rid of the in-form Mohammad Rizwan in his next over. He surprised the batter with a well-directed short ball.

While Rizwan attempted to play the hook shot, all he could manage was a thick top edge, and the ball went straight to Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who was stationed at fine-leg.

Arshdeep received praise from all quarters for his sensational opening burst, with many fans taking to social media to laud the bowler for his inspired spell.

Notably, Arshdeep was targeted by a certain section of fans at the Asia Cup for dropping a catch in a vital game against Pakistan. The talented youngster silenced his critics with his exceptional performance and redeemed himself by sending Pakistan's two top batters early.

Iftikhar Ahmed's fine half-century gives Pakistan a glimmer of hope after shaky start against India

Rohit Sharma won the toss at the Melbourne Cricket Ground and elected to field first on Sunday, October 23. Pakistan didn't have an ideal start with the bat, losing both of their openers in the first four overs.

Iftikhar Ahmed and Shan Masood steadied the ship for their side, stitching together a gutsy 76-run partnership off 50 deliveries. Ahmed struck a splendid half-century under pressure before being dismissed by Mohammed Shami in the 13th over.

India will look to come up with a dominant performance in the death overs as well. At the time of writing, Pakistan have posted 106 runs from 15 overs. However, they have already lost six wickets.

All eyes will be on Arshdeep as he is expected to play a major role in the backend of the innings as well. For Pakistan, the onus will be on Masood and Mohammad Nawaz to take their team to an impressive total.

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Aditya writes news, features, listicles, and exclusive pieces at Sportskeeda as a cricket journalist. After completing his MBA in Sports Management from Symbiosis, he started his professional journey and has a total work experience of 5 years, which included a stint at Republic World. Impressively, he has also done exclusive on-site coverage of two T20 World Cups (2021, 2022), the 2023 ODI World Cup, and 5 editions of IPL, and boasts a total readership of close to 14 million at Sportskeeda. He has also played cricket professionally at the AIU Zonal level for Ahmedabad district.

Aditya admires Virat Kohli’s exemplary discipline, dedication, and hard work. Kohli’s ‘Shot of the Century’ against Haris Rauf is a moment that left a lasting impact on him, ultimately teaching him a valuable life lesson that self-belief will always bear fruit. His favorite teams are the Indian Cricket Team and the Royal Challengers Bangalore.

Aditya believes in sourcing information only from trusted sources rather than any random social media posts on the story and being neutral and honest are his reporting strengths. When not writing, he enjoys playing snooker and pickleball with his friends, and he is also a self-proclaimed coffee aficionado.

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