Young Indian fast bowler Arshdeep Singh made an impactful debut for Kent in the ongoing County Championship Division 1 clash against Surrey at the St Lawrence Ground in Canterbury.
Arshdeep, who joined Kent after the conclusion of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023, showcased his talent by picking up his maiden wicket in the prestigious tournament. Although Arshdeep remained wicketless in his first eight overs, he displayed excellent control and kept the runs in check. His persistence paid off in the ninth over when he bowled a well-directed delivery to Surrey batsman Ben Foakes.
Foakes was caught on the crease, and the ball struck him on the pads, prompting the umpire to raise his finger and signal ‘out’.
Here’s the video:
Arshdeep Singh has his first #LVCountyChamp wicket!
The @KentCricket bowler gets one to nip back and dismisses Ben Foakes pic.twitter.com/RS4TTfAjut
— LV= Insurance County Championship (@CountyChamp) June 12, 2023
Arshdeep’s impressive debut continued as he added another wicket to his tally, contributing to Surrey’s collapse. They were bowled out for a mere 145.
Kent gained a substantial first-innings lead of 156 runs. Kent had earlier posted a competitive total of 301 in their first innings, with batsman Jordan Cox playing a brilliant knock of 133 runs, comprising 17 fours and two sixes.
Arshdeep, who represents Punjab Kings (PBKS) in the IPL, has shown promise in domestic cricket and burst onto the scene during the 2019 edition of the IPL. In his T20I career for India, the left-armer has scalped 41 wickets in 26 matches since making his debut against England in July 2022. Notably, he was India’s leading wicket-taker during their T20 campaign in 2022, claiming ten wickets in six matches at an impressive average of 15.60.
While the Madhya Pradesh-born seamer is yet to make his debut in Test cricket, his performances in first-class matches have been noteworthy. In seven first-class games, he has taken 25 wickets, and showed his potential of being a potent bowler in the longest format.
