Former Indian cricketer Parthiv Patel praised Arshdeep Singh’s versatility after his match-winning performance against South Africa in the third T20I on Wednesday (November 13) at SuperSport Park, Centurion. The left-arm seamer was the pick of the Indian bowlers with figures of 3/37 in four overs.

Arshdeep began his spell by giving away seven runs in the first over but was taken to the cleaners in the second over by Ryan Rickleton who smashed him for a boundary and a six. However, the left-arm seamer got rid of the opener, forcing him to hit his stumps again. The left-arm seamer then returned to bowling in the 18th over^th and got the big scalp from Heinrich Klaasen (41 out of 22) give only 8 runs.

Following his marvelous performance, Patel hailed Arshdeep for his versatility and ability to play in all phases of the match.

“He can actually play well in all phases of the game. We’ve seen him play with the new ball. And he improved his death bowling. He has the variation of Yorkers, plus he plays with his balls and he has good bouncers too. A lot of bowlers have variations, but the way he uses his variations and the timing of it works very well,” Patel said on Sports18.

Arshdeep closed the match in the final over by successfully defending 24 runs and got the valuable scalp of Marco Jansen (54 off 17), helping India win the match by 11 runs. Separately, Patel said the youngster understood his strength and praised his ability to keep calm under pressure.

“He understands the game, he knows where his pitch is and he knows the strength of other hitters. He uses them to perfection. You know you’re going to run, but executing the difficult balls under pressure and staying calm is, I think, Arshdeep’s strength,” he added.

Arshdeep on rapid rise in T20Is since debut

Arshdeep has made giant strides in T20Is since his debut in the format in 2022. He began his career with a debut against England’s Jason Roy and was India’s leading wicket-taker in the World Cup. world T20 in 2022 (10 wickets) and the tournament. co-top wicket-taker of the 2024 edition with 17 scalps in eight matches.

After his three-wicket haul in the third T20I, he became the second highest wicket-taker for India in the format with 92 scalps to his name in 59 matches at an average of 18.47 and an economy of 8.34. The youngster will be looking forward to continuing his good form and taking the top spot in the list in the upcoming matches.