T20 WC: Ashwin hails Arshdeep's 'underrated' over vs West Indies

R Ashwin praised Arshdeep Singh's 'underrated' but crucial 19th over in India's T20 WC win vs West Indies. Despite being wicketless, Ashwin said the over broke WI's momentum. Sanju Samson's 97* secured India's semifinal spot.

Veteran Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin heaped praises on India star seamer Arshdeep Singh for his brilliant 19th over under pressure against the West Indies in an must win match in the Super 8 fixture of the ongoing T20 World Cup in Kolkata on Sunday. Arshdeep went wicketless in the match and gave away 43 in four overs, but in the second last over of the innings, with big hitters Rovman Powell and Jason Holder on the crease, Singh bowled a six-run over. Ashwin believed his 19th over was underrated, and we always make decisions seeing the wickets column, as people are used to seeing the Purple Cap in the Indian Premier League (IPL).

A blockbuster 97* by Sanju Samson single-handedly led Team India to a five-wicket win over West Indies at Kolkata's Eden Gardens in their must-win T20 World Cup Super Eight clash against West Indies, helping his team reach the semifinals on Sunday.

Ashwin Defends Arshdeep's 'Underrated' Over

"Arshdeep Singh gave more than 40 runs from four overs, but maybe his 19th over was underrated. People always make decisions seeing no wickets. We are used to seeing the Purple Cap in the IPL. He did not get a wicket, but the execution in the 19th over, even if he did not get a wicket, completely broke their momentum. It was a crucial over. West Indies could have ended up 210-220 as well," he said on his YouTube Channel 'Ash ki Baat'.

Singh has had a decent outing in the T20 World Cup so far, he has grabbed 8 wickets in 6 matches at an average of 21.37 and an economy rate of 7.77.

Concerns Over Bowling Execution

Ashwin believes India's bowling in the last two to three games has been slightly off and said they are making small mistakes.

"In the last two to three games, I feel India's bowling, slightly, the execution has not been flash. There is a lot of ability, but they are making small mistakes. You need to know exactly when to be defensive and when to attack. I don't want to pick instances, but at least on three to four occasions, where we could have bowled deliveries to shut down, we have not done that. It is my only issue. If you are playing a tight game and giving away boundaries just because you are looking for a wicket, it is somewhat not okay, and those 15-20 runs could cost heavily," he stated.

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