Indian left-arm pacer and the most successful T20I bowler from India, Arshdeep Singh, did not have the finest of nights at his home ground the other day. Arshdeep lost control against Quinton de Kock and bowled several wides in an over, which angered Gautam Gambhir. However, the ace pacer bounced back in the very next game and showed some stunning control.
India have once again established a lead in the T20I series and have bounced back in a stellar fashion. They have once again proved why they are the defending champions and the current best T20I team in the world.
Having lost to South Africa, who scored 200+ runs in New Chandigarh on a batting track, the Indians turned the tables on another healthy bowling track in Dharamsala. The bowl showed some stunning lateral movement for the seamers, and wickets kept falling at regular intervals, which compromised the Protea innings.
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Arshdeep Singh bounced back in Dharamsala after humiliation in New Chandigarh
India went from Cuttack to New Chandigarh victorious and confident, but they were not aware that the Proteas were ready and determined for a comeback. The best part of this South Africa series has been their fightbacks; the T20 World Cup runners-up never give up till the last moment.
Quinton de Kock returned to his very best as he thrashed the Indian bowlers in New Chandigarh, which is often said to be one of the finest batting tracks in India currently. Arshdeep Singh, the left-arm pacer who starts with the new ball for India, was also hit for runs, but the most humiliating part came in the third over of his spell.
When De Kock was batting fluently, he was brought back into the attack in search of a wicket or to at least control the flow of runs. After being hit for a six when he bowled on the stumps, Arshdeep revised his strategy and targeted the wide line.
He wanted to tease the left-handers’ wicket, but in an attempt to do so, he kept bowling wides in the over, both wide of the off-stump and around the leg-stump as well. This led to the longest over he bowled in his career. Arshdeep finished wicketless in that game, giving away 54 runs in his 4 overs, of which 10+ were extras.
Coming out of this disastrous spell, the highest Indian T20I wicket-taker indeed had to bounce back, and so did he in Dharamsala. Arshdeep angled out the batter, teasing the outside edge on multiple occasions. His tight spells handed Harshit Rana an opportunity to strike from the other end.
Dismissing the right-handers Reeza Hendricks and Aiden Markram, Arshdeep finished 2/13 in his 4-over spell, and India restricted the Proteas to a score of 117.
Arshdeep trolls Indian head coach with ‘wide-ball’ celebration after wicket in Dharamsala
During the previous game on Arshdeep Singh’s home ground, when he lost control and his strategies failed as he kept bowling wide balls, Indian head coach Gautam Gambhir, known widely for his animated reactions, was seen going berserk over the pacer’s callousness.
He screamed from the dugout and gave a death stare to the pacer. Arshdeep Singh, on the other hand, is also known for having a quirky side, which he showed during the Asia Cup as well. After his economic spell and a spell of acute control, Arshdeep Singh quickly turned to mocking his coach.
After a wicket, when Arshdeep celebrated, he signalled ‘wide’ with his arms. While this has been tagged as trolling on the internet, it can also be seen as a healthy and competitive conduct between a coach and his players.
Arshdeep Singh is trolling Gautam Gambhir who gave death scare in 2nd T20 when delivered wide balls. pic.twitter.com/03DmV5XRIL
— Sujeet Suman (@sujeetsuman1991) December 14, 2025
Hardik Pandya became the third Indian bowler with 100+ T20I wickets
In the game, almost everyone who bowled picked a wicket. Indian all-rounder Hardik Pandya was the third bowler to be used, and he too picked a crucial breakthrough in the game. He dismissed Tristan Stubbs and completed his 100 T20I wickets. Pandya is the third after Arshdeep Singh and Jasprit Bumrah to breach the milestone.
Moreover, Varun Chakravarthy, on the other hand, bowled a splendid spell of 2/11 in his 4 overs and completed 50 T20I wickets for India. He is the second fastest to the milestone for India, following Kuldeep Yadav’s fastest of 30 matches.
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