Indian pacer Arshdeep Singh’s coach Jaswant Rai has urged fans to watch matches with a positive spirit instead of trying to troll players for doing their job. He was referring to the catch that Arshdeep dropped during India's match against Pakistan in the 2022 Asia Cup in Dubai on Sunday, September 4. Arshdeep received a lot of flak after he dropped Asif Ali’s catch in the 18th over of Pakistan’s run-chase.
Arshdeep’s drop catch was crucial as Asif Ali took the game into the last over after he scored 16 off eight balls with two fours and one six. Although Arshdeep managed to dismiss the right-handed batter in the last over, it was too late for a comeback as Pakistan chased the total down with a ball to spare.
“I didn’t expect something like this. He shouldn’t have been trolled for the drop catch. It’s a part of the game and India still had the chance to win the match. Pakistani batters should be appreciated for the way they played. I request people to watch the game with passion and not troll players,” Rai was quoted as saying to India Today.
“People are emotional about cricket in India, especially when it’s about a high-voltage match against Pakistan. Winning and losing are part and parcels of a game. The same people praised Arshdeep after he got two wickets in the opening game. Making an issue of a dropped catch is wrong,” he added.
The veteran coach also expects the seam bowler to return to the pitch with a stronger mentality in India’s upcoming matches in the multi-nation tournament. “He is young and I don’t think he will get distracted by the trolling. He will come back stronger and will perform better in the next match,” he said.
India succumbed to a five-wicket loss against Pakistan as the Men in Blue got off to an unceremonious start to their Super 4s. One of the batting stars for India was Kohli, who smashed a brilliant 60 off 44 balls as the middle order collapsed around him and almost single-handedly led India to a total of 182 runs for Pakistan to chase.
Despite his efforts, India could not defend their total after a masterclass performance from Mohammad Rizwan as his side chased down the target with five wickets to spare. On Sunday, the 23-year-old Arshdeep finished with figures of 3.5-0-27-1.
