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IND vs SA | Intelligence, skill, and heart: How Arshdeep Singh took out Reeza Hendricks to make stunning comeback

The left-arm white-ball specialist had a bad outing in Mullanpur but roared back with the new ball in Dharamshala to steer India to 2-1 series lead against South Africa.

5 min readDharamshalaDec 15, 2025 05:12 PM IST

Arshdeep Singh of India celebrates the wicket of Aiden Markram of South Africa during the 3rd T20I match between India and South Africa, held at Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium, Dharamshala, India, on December 14, 2025. (CREIMAS for BCCI)

Arshdeep Singh is perhaps the most specialist white-ball bowler India has had of late. He doesn’t have searing pace nor crazy swing, but yet delivers time and again, with his crafty brain work.

There are bound to be ups and downs; this series saw a particularly nasty downer on his home ground in Mullanpur this week. Leaking 54 runs in his four overs with a relentless spray of wides that was likely key in South Africa putting up the 200+ total. But with his new-ball heroics in Dharamshala on Sunday, he showed that bouncing back from those setbacks takes more than just mental resilience. It requires a mastery of craft that bowlers, for whom the margin for error is so much greater, need to be developed with painstaking discipline and tactical acumen.

As Proteas skipper Aiden Markram put it after the game: “You can have friendly conditions but ultimately, the bowlers still have to land the ball in the right areas, and that’s what (India) did. From ball No.1.”

First over, first breakthrough!

#ArshdeepSingh puts India on top straightaway. 🔥#INDvSA 3rd T20I | LIVE NOW 👉 https://t.co/TBYQYBG4F9 pic.twitter.com/iJxOWJG6KV

— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) December 14, 2025

And it was Arshdeep that started with a scorching opening over, and formidable new ball spell. From over the wicket, he unfurled the typical left-armers trick of testing the right-handed Reeza Hendricks’ off-stump. The plan, though, was slightly atypical.

Most left-armers would test the edge from angling the ball away from the off stump line with balls that start from middle or middle-and-off. It’s the easiest thing to do, but it can’t get batsmen squared-up. Or at times even getting it around off with the ball that seemingly shapes in from just outside off. It can be vicious, but predictable. Instead, Arshdeep hit a line that was landing closer to leg stump, and then got the ball to deviate away.

Also Read | India vs South Africa 3rd T20I: Like champion sides, India find different ways to skin an opponent

It’s not a line that’s often bowled by left-armers for the fear that it falls in the hitting arc of a big leg-side heave. But Arshdeep got the confidence and the skill to swing the ball out of hand and seam it off the pitch. The angle left Hendricks squared up on the first two balls he faced. The plan can only work for a bowler with Arshdeep’s refined abilities to get the ball to swing both ways. On the next delivery, Hendricks played against the line expecting the ball to move out again, but this time, pitched up on middle, it swung in sharply and caught him leg before.

These gambits in T20 smackathons require very fine execution; betraying in length or line slightly can leave the leg side fully open for maximum runscoring. The fact that it was planned showed in skipper Suryakumar Yadav’s field placements, his two fielders outside the circle in the first over were both on the leg side as protection – at deep square and fine leg. But Arshdeep, determined to exorcise the demons of Mullanpur, hardly erred.

Variations, deep arsenal

It’s not for nothing that the 26-year-old Punjab pacer has become India’s go-to bowler in T20s, with Jasprit Bumrah’s participation always up in the air due to his workload management plan. He is India’s highest-wicket taker in this format, with 109 wickets in 71 matches. And that is not merely thanks to his new-ball exploits or that he is a wicket taking ace.

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Arshdeep has a deep arsenal he can tap into when he is given the ball to protect runs at the death. Whether it is the angled wide-yorker ploy – the same one that repeatedly failed to Quinton de Kock in Mullanpur and led to the 13-ball wide-ridden over – or those slower balls that angle into the batter and make scoring runs with brute power so difficult.

His roaring comeback on Sunday should not be a surprise. Arshdeep is no rookie in dealing with setbacks. Back in the 2022 Asia Cup, he was subjected to some merciless online abuse after he dropped a routine catch against Pakistan. A lesser player may have buckled, but he played it off without fuss.

The dry humour in his public persona betrays a deep self belief too. “When I got to know that I wouldn’t be playing in the first game of the Champions Trophy, I was very bored in my room, and that’s when I started my YouTube channel. It turned out to be a blessing in disguise,” he had said, rather cheekily, earlier this year.

He played off the Mullanpur mishap on Sunday in similar fashion, telling the broadcaster: “I just put the ball in the right areas and tried to get as much help from the wicket. When you play at this level, there are days when you won’t execute the things you want to. That was just a one-off day.”

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India’s firing frontline bowler is expected to play a big role in their World Cup title defence at home in six weeks. He believes it too.

Namit Kumar

Namit Kumar is a Senior Sports Correspondent for The Indian Express, based in New Delhi. He is known for his versatile reporting across several major sports disciplines. Professional Profile Specializations: He covers a wide variety of sports including tennis, football, cricket, and motorsports. Focus: His writing often delves into the finer details and technical analysis of the sports he covers. Social Media: You can find him on X (formerly Twitter) at @namitkumar_17. Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025) Namit’s recent work focuses heavily on international cricket series and domestic tournaments, as well as high-profile global tennis events: International Cricket (India vs South Africa Series): "Intelligence, skill, and heart: How Arshdeep Singh took out Reeza Hendricks" (Dec 15, 2025) — A detailed analysis of Arshdeep's tactical comeback in the T20I series. "How India's seamers froze South Africa in chilly Dharamshala" (Dec 14, 2025). "Why India's T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav and vice-captain Shubman Gill losing form, is the start of a blunt headache" (Dec 12, 2025) — An analytical piece on the statistics and form of India's leadership duo. "Quinton de Kock dismantles Indian bowling combination with silent savagery" (Dec 11, 2025). Domestic Cricket (Ranji Trophy): "Ranji Trophy: J&K conquer Kotla and Delhi for first time" (Nov 11, 2025) — Reporting on the historic first win for Jammu & Kashmir over Delhi in the tournament's history. "What makes J&K pacer Auqib Nabi special" (Nov 8, 2025) — A profile on the pacer's accuracy and swing. "Unearthing the next Virat Kohli still a while away but Delhi's young batting talent full of promise" (Oct 24, 2025). Tennis and Golf: "Jannik Sinner's winter-time madness: How Italian refined his game to beat Alcaraz" (Nov 17, 2025) — A deep dive into Sinner’s technical improvements following his US Open loss. "Everyone's come to watch Rory McIlroy but keep an eye out for 'people's champion' Tommy Fleetwood" (Oct 17, 2025). Football Tactics: "Why are long throw-ins giving football defenders and lawmakers a headache?" (Nov 2, 2025) — An analytical piece on the evolving strategies surrounding throw-ins in modern football. Reporting Style Namit is active in covering the Delhi sports scene, providing detailed match reports for international cricket matches and Ranji Trophy fixtures at the Arun Jaitley Stadium. He also provides on-the-ground reporting for happenings in the city, such as his recent coverage of the DP World India Championship golf event. Additionally, he actively writes on tennis, analysing matches and reporting on major events, especially during the Grand Slam tournaments. ... Read More

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