'Ran up and bowled Hardik the perfect bouncer which almost cleaned him up': Bishop impressed with 'standout' IPL bowler

The depth that India have got in the fast bowling department is on display in the 2022 season of the Indian Premier League (IPL). Apart from the likes of Bhuvneshwar Kumar, T Natarajan, Jasprit Bumrah and Umesh Yadav, younger pacers like Kuldeep Sen, Umran Malik and Mohsin Khan have also made heads turn. (More IPL News)

Among these younger fast bowlers is Punjab Kings' Arshdeep Singh. While he has taken only 10 wickets in 13 matches, Arshdeep has proven to be tough to score runs against.  

“Arshdeep has good accuracy and a great feel for knowing when to bowl what type of delivery. The control he has of his yorker and change of pace is brilliant. So, knowing when to use a specific delivery or change of pace and length is what makes him stand out,” former West Indies fast bowler Ian Bishop told Sportstar. 

“A bowler can have a lot of variation, but he must know when to use it and have control of the delivery, especially when bowling at the end phase of the innings. He has a great feel for what a batsman is trying to do.”

Bishop took the example of how Arshdeep bowled to Hardik Pandya in PBKS's eight wicket win over table toppers Gujarat Titans. 

"One example was when Punjab Kings played Gujarat Titans in a tight game on April 8th at the Brabourne stadium. Hardik Pandya was batting well and trying to see his team to victory. Arshdeep set the offside field deep with a long off, extra cover and backward point on the boundary. In addition, he had a short fine leg and deep mid-wicket, so it was a field set obviously for a wide yorker. Instead, he ran up and bowled Hardik the perfect bouncer which almost cleaned Hardik up but for his excellent reflexes as a batsman as he just managed to evade it.

"He was prodding forward expecting the full wide ball, but Arshdeep bluffed him with the opposite delivery which, to be honest, was a risky ball in a tight contest. Had Hardik been aware of the plan, he could easily have hooked or pulled and at worst top-edged it for four or six since there was no protection for that shot in what was already a tight contest,” said Bishop