Arshdeep Singh shows the gold medal to his father Darshan Singh, mother Baljit Kaur and sister Gurleen Kaur at their Kharar home on Tuesday. Jasbir Malhi
ON TUESDAY morning, as Indian U-19 speedster Arshdeep Singh returned to his Kharar home after attending the BCCI dinner hosted for the U-19 World Champions in Mumbai on Monday night, the 19-year-old Punjab cricketer asked his parents to pack his kit. The 6 foot, 2 inch tall pacer, who played two matches and picked up three wickets in the U-19 World Cup in New Zealand, will be donning the Punjab colours for the BCCI U-23 ODI League quarterfinals to be played in Kanpur from February 9 and the brief stay with his parents saw Arshdeep attending some functions.
“It feels great to be part of the U-19 World Cup winning team. Even though I got a chance to bowl in two matches, it was a moment to remember for me. Playing under captain Prithvi Shaw and coach Rahul Dravid was a dream come true for me. I bowled to Prithvi and Shubman Gill at the nets when I was not playing and Rahul sir always told me to have patience. Listening to him and understanding how to execute the plans helped my confidence a lot. The only thing which I feared was speaking in English at the team meetings,” laughs Arshdeep, who claimed two wickets against Zimbabwe in the group stage apart from picking up one wicket against Papua New Guinea.
Arshdeep, whose father, 53-year-old Darshan Singh, is Chief Security Officer with DCM, Ropar, started playing cricket five years ago under coach Jaswant Rai at Guru Nanak Public School and returned with an impressive haul of 19 wickets in five matches in the Punjab Inter-District ODI Championship apart from claiming 13 wickets for Punjab in the Vinoo Mankad Trophy. The youngster showed his fine form, clocking 140 kph while playing for India Red in the Challenger Trophy in December.
The U-19 World Cup saw Arshdeep bowling along with fellow pacers Kamlesh Nagarkoti and Shivam Mavi. “Before the World Cup, I played in the Youth Asia Cup in Malaysia and it helped my game. Nagarkoti and Mavi bowled in excess of 145 kph in the World Cup and we would discuss about bowling on New Zealand pitches. Our bowling coach, Paras Mhambrey sir, also helped me a lot. I also met the Australian coach, former fast bowler Ryan Harris, which was also a memorable experience. We have reached the quarter-finals in the U-23 League and my aim will be to help Punjab win the title,” said the speedster, who turned 19 on Monday.
For parents, Darshan Singh and Baljit Kaur, the brief stay meant making preparations for Arshdeep’s favourite dish, masur ki daal. “When I was posted with CISF as part of CM’s security in Chandigarh, Arshdeep showed his interest in cricket. Later, when he would travel for matches, I quit my job since the CISF job was transferrable and joined a private firm in Ropar as it meant that I would stay at Kharar. It was his birthday yesterday and he spent it with his teammates and coaches. The World Cup medal is the biggest reward for us. His elder brother Akashdeep, who studies in Canada, and sister Gurleen Kaur, too, followed his matches,” said Darshan.