Former India batter Manoj Tiwary has praised Arshdeep Singh for putting a difficult IPL 2026 campaign behind him and finding his rhythm again in India colours. The left-arm pacer had a noisy season in the league, where controversy off the field often became as much a talking point as his bowling. With Arshdeep also drawing attention for his heavy social media presence and YouTube activity, the spotlight was firmly on him throughout the tournament.
Punjab Kings had even asked Arshdeep to reduce his social media usage midway through the season, but the 2026 IPL did not go his way on the cricket front either. He finished with 14 wickets at an average of 38.64 and an economy rate of 10.21, a disappointing return by his standards. It was also a damaging campaign for PBKS, who failed to carry their brilliant unbeaten first half into the business end of the tournament and missed out on the playoffs.
The story has been different in the ongoing ODI series against Afghanistan. Returning after the IPL break, Arshdeep has looked sharper, more composed and far more effective, collecting five wickets in two matches so far. His improvement has been reflected in the way he has led India’s pace attack with confidence and control.
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“IPL is just entertainment cricket, to be honest with you. The format is T20, but it is just full-on entertainment, where things are set up for batters and bowlers only get hit. So you cannot compare and judge performances from there. As soon as he switches to India jersey from IPL, he’s a different player. We have seen that in T20Is, he has a better numbers of striking in the first over than Jasprit Bumrah,” Manoj Tiwary said on Cricbuzz.
Tiwary also felt Arshdeep’s return to form was closely linked to cutting out distractions and focusing more on cricket. According to him, the bowler has looked far more settled since stepping away from unnecessary noise.
🔙 to 🔙 wickets for Arshdeep Singh 😎#TeamIndia pick wicket no.7️⃣ 👌
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— BCCI (@BCCI) June 17, 2026
“His rhythm has come back now. He has stopped doing some things he did in the IPL. He used to do all of that in the IPL, he has stopped now, we don’t see much of him on social media. When you move away from distractions and focus on things that matter, then the consistency in performance is there. It is good to see him leading the attack and picking wickets for his country,” he added.
Arshdeep backed that praise with a strong performance in India’s 170-run win over Afghanistan in the second ODI at the Ekana Stadium in Lucknow on Wednesday, June 17. He returned figures of 3 for 45 in nine overs, including the important wicket of opener Ibrahim Zadran, and once again showed why he remains such a valuable strike option for India.
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With Mohammed Siraj and Jasprit Bumrah rested for the series, Arshdeep has shouldered the responsibility of leading an inexperienced pace attack. He has handled the job well, combining effectively with promising young bowlers Gurnoor Brar and Prince Yadav as India wrapped up the series with an unassailable lead.
Speaking after the match, Arshdeep said he was simply enjoying the moment and trying to give everything for the team without looking back with regrets. “I’m just enjoying whatever is happening on the field and off the field, I’m just trying to enjoy it and just give it my all and not have any regrets of not putting my 100% on the field,” Arshdeep Singh told the broadcasters after the match.
“The environment and the chat have been really positive. The way the boys are putting in the hard yards in the practice sessions, the results will come through nicely in the future as well. We are just looking to follow what’s best for the team and in the team’s interest. So we’re just trying to give our best, and as I said before, the results will follow,” he added.
India will now look to finish the series strongly in the third and final ODI at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Saturday, June 20.
