"He challenged Wade's mentality" - Abhishek Nayar lauds Arshdeep Singh's final over in 5th IND vs AUS T20I

Abhishek Nayar has lauded Arshdeep Singh for bowling an exceptional final over in the last T20I between India and Australia.

The Men in Blue set the Aussies a 161-run target after being asked to bat first in Bengaluru on Sunday, December 3. The hosts then restricted the visitors to 154/8 to register a six-run win and complete a 4-1 victory in the five-match series.

While reviewing the game on JioCinema, Nayar praised Arshdeep for the final over he bowled, and especially for bamboozling Matthew Wade by bowling a bouncer on the first delivery. He elaborated:

"He had conceded 37 runs in his first three overs, so he would have been under pressure, and he was not executing his yorkers. The most impressive thing for me was the short ball he used on the first ball."

The former India all-rounder added:

"You saw Wade getting quite angry. He felt it was a wide. He challenged Wade's mentality because sitting outside too, you were expecting him to bowl a yorker. From his (Arshdeep's) body language and his thinking, it seemed like he was in control."

Australia needed 10 runs off the final over with three wickets in hand and a marauding Wade at the crease. Arshdeep bowled two dot balls before having the Aussie skipper caught by Shreyas Iyer at long-on. The left-arm seamer conceded a single apiece off the final three deliveries to ensure an Indian win.

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"We have seen how Wade has batted and he was looking quite confident as well" - Abhishek Nayar on Arshdeep Singh accomplishing a difficult task

Arshdeep Singh did not have a great series overall. [P/C: AP]

Abhishek Nayar highlighted that Arshdeep Singh was confronted with an uphill task. He observed:

"When we were watching from outside, Suryakumar Yadav was asking the entire audience to back Arshdeep because it's not easy. We have seen how Wade has batted and he was looking quite confident as well."

The cricketer-turned-commentator praised the young seamer for delivering under pressure. He said:

10 runs were needed, they were just one hit away, but the way he (Arshdeep) executed the yorkers, especially against Wade, I believe he showed a lot of character.

Arshdeep picked up only two wickets and proved expensive in the first three games of the series, and wasn't part of the playing XI in the fourth T20I. He was drafted into the side for the final game due to Deepak Chahar's unavailability and made a telling contribution with his match-winning over.