IND vs SA 2022-23, 1st T20I: 'Felt good getting those wickets early' - Arshdeep Singh

It was a nightmarish start for the South Africans in Wednesday's opening Twenty20 International (T20I) against the Indians at the Greenfield International Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram. The visitors were plundered by eight wickets, as they could only hand a below-par target of 107. Put into bat first, the Proteas were down to 9/5 within the opening four overs of the Powerplay, as pacers Deepak Chahar and Arshdeep Singh wreaked havoc. The latter clutched three in his first over of the game, the second over of the match. After the success, he expressed his delight in getting those early wickets.

Arshdeep said during the post-match press conference, talking to the reports after the triumph, "It felt delicious getting those wickets early. It is always a great feeling. The plan was straightforward. The ball was swinging, and I had to pitch it in the right places."

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On being asked how he would adapt to the Australian conditions during the 2022 ICC T20 World Cup next month, he supposed, "The main motive of the team is adept as per conditions and situations, whatever the demands of the team are. We will see how pitches work, the conditions, and the ground's dimensions when we go there. We will adapt well, looking forward to doing well there."

Earlier, during the post-match presentation, Arshdeep had explained his bowling, as he articulated, "I had thought about what to say if I get the Man of the Match award and got a little excited. In the first over DC bhai [Deepak Chahar] set the tone, and we knew there was plenty of help from the surface. The plan was to keep it simple and bowl in the right areas."

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"I enjoyed [David] Miller's wicket as I thought he was expecting an outswinger, but I bowled an inswinger instead. The thought was to get his [Keshav Maharaj's] wicket, but he played well, and the plan could have been different. Hopefully, I give such performances moving forward as well," concluded Arshdeep.