Why is Arshdeep judged so harshly?

JUST 16 MONTHS into his international career, Arshdeep Singh has weathered numerous storms. He has been brutally criticized for his tendency to bleed runs-12 times in 40 games has he leaked 10 or more an over in a game; his overstepping woes were packaged as traffic rule memes; a dropped catch off Pakistan batsman Asif Ali in a tense encounter in the 2022 Asia Cup spun vicious and sustained trolling. He did not sleep the night he spilled the catch that turned out to be game-defining, but every time he has been ridiculed or mocked, he has demonstrated an incredible gift to fight back, to survive and prosper.

- SANDIP G

In his span he had experienced enough of the fickle love of supporters that he once penned a poignantly philosophical poem in Punjabi, roughly translated as: "For some, I'm lucky, for some, it's just a a fluke. All they ignore is my hard work. All they talk about is fate and destiny. When time is good, anyone can succeed, but the character is tested when one overcomes tough times. Courageous individuals will not back down easily. And a character like me won't lose hope in tough times." In his career, he has embodied these traits. For, every time he has been plundered for runs, or looked rusty, or blundered, he has found the wherewithal to fight back and deliver a match-winning performance. Weeks after the Dubai faux pas, he landed lusty blows to Pakistan at the MCG in the World T20 in 2022. There are other examples in the first T20 game against New Zealand earlier this year, his last over cost 27 runs, and India ended up losing the game by 21 runs.