T20 World Cup: ‘Just a start for Arshdeep… like the whole of India, we’re overjoyed’

“Eh T20 World Cup Trophy India di hai and sareya nu World Cup Trophy di wadhayain. Waheguru ji da shukriya (This T20 World Cup Trophy is for India and our wishes for all for this World Cup Trophy. Thanks to the Almighty). It was a dream for Arshdeep to win the World Cup and to wear his World Cup medal was a special moment for all of us too,” said Arshdeep’s mother Baljit Kaur while speaking to The Indian Express from Barbados.

Father Darshan Singh Aulakh too expressed his joy. “Feelings can’t be described in words. Players like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have won their first World Cup. When I asked Arshdeep why didn’t you pick the wicket as a memento? His reply was that Rohit sir and Virat sir deserve that. Arshdeep is happy to play his part in getting the second winning star on the T20 World Cup Indian team jersey. It’s just a start for Arshdeep and like the whole of India, we are overjoyed,” said Aulakh.

It was 16 years ago that a young Arshdeep would pick up cricket at a Sector 19 Cricket Academy in Chandigarh before training under coach Jaswant Rai in Sector 36, Chandigarh. With his father then working in CISF, a young Arshdeep would often cycle to the academy from their home at Kharar or take a CTU bus to travel to the academy.

India’s Arshdeep Singh celebrates the dismissal of South Africa’s captain Aiden Markram during the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup final cricket match between India and South Africa at Kensington Oval in Bridgetown, Barbados. (PTI)

The youngster, who initially played for Haryana for a few months, would soon break into Punjab junior teams before making his debut for the Indian U-19 team in 2018. The Punjab cricketer was also part of the ICC U-19 World Cup winning Indian U-19 team in New Zealand, where he picked up three wickets in two matches. While he was selected for the then Kings XI Punjab for IPL in 2019, the youngster had so far picked up a total of 76 wickets in IPL.

Arshdeep, who is only the third Indian bowler to start his T20I career with a maiden over, was playing in his second T20 World Cup in USA and West indies. In the 2022 T20 World Cup, the six foot and three inches tall pacer had taken 10 wickets, including three wickets against Pakistan. “Right from his starting days as a cricketer, Arshdeep has done whatever he needed to do to achieve his dream. When I was posted in CISF, he would either take a CTU bus or cycle to the academy in Chandigarh from Kharar to train. There were days when he would be so tired that he would sleep after coming home but would again go for training the same way and would not complain. Whatever he has achieved, it’s his hard work and the passion to wear the Indian jersey one day and he has won the T20 World Cup today. All his family members, including his maternal uncle Inderpeet Singh, too watched the matches in USA too and we all cheered for Arshdeep,” said Aulakh, who works as a security head with Groz Beckert Asia in Industrial Area, Chandigarh.

Arshdeep’s 17 wickets in the T20 World Cup has now taken his tally to 79 wickets in the 52 T20I’s in the Indian jersey. Punjab Cricket Association president Amarjeet Mehta too lauded Arshdeep’s heroics in the T20 World Cup. “Players like Arshdeep are like torch-bearers of Punjab cricket and Indian cricket too. Once he comes back to India, PCA Apex Council will decide about honouring him for the T20 World Cup title win. Whatever support he needs, PCA will always be there for him,” Mehta told The Indian Express.