Star Indian pacer Arshdeep Singh scripts five-wicket haul despite an unwanted T20I record in IND vs NZ 5th T20I

The Indian team delivered an excellent performance in the fifth and final T20I of the series against New Zealand. The match was played at the Greenfield International Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram on January 31, where India registered a comfortable win.

India batted first and scored a huge 271 runs in the first innings. Ishan Kishan and Suryakumar Yadav were the top performers for the Men in Blue, scoring 103 runs and 63 runs, respectively.

In reply, New Zealand were restricted to 225 runs in the second innings. Ace pacer Arshdeep Singh was the highest wicket-taker for India with five wickets. However, despite his brilliant five-wicket haul, Arshdeep Singh also ended up registering an unwanted record.

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Arshdeep Singh concedes most runs in a five-wicket haul

In his spell, the star pacer gave away 51 runs. This turned out to be the most expensive five-wicket haul in T20I cricket history.

Arshdeep Singh reflects on his performance

After the match, Arshdeep Singh spoke about his performance. He admitted that he has been giving away runs in recent games and said he is working to improve it.

Speaking at the post-match presentation, Arshdeep said:

“Great learning for me to stay in the game. That was the message from the coaching staff. It is just for the camera that I look calm. Lately, I have been going for runs. I am trying to stay in the game with Morne’s help. I enjoyed some of the shots Finn played, but I could have planned better. They were always going to come hard.”

He added:

“The talk was about body language and giving our best effort. The plan was to stop them under 180. I am happy with individual performances, but the perfect team game has not come yet. I hope that comes in the World Cup.”