Arshdeep Singh gave India an early breakthrough in the first T20I against West Indies at the Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow. The left-arm pacer removed Kamil Pooran in the fourth over, clean bowling the West Indies batter for 12 off 11 deliveries.
Arshdeep Singh Strikes in the Powerplay
The dismissal came on the third ball of the fourth over, with Arshdeep continuing to operate with the new ball for India. He bowled a full delivery outside off, leaving Pooran with little room to work with.
Pooran attempted to deal with the delivery but failed to make contact as the ball went through his defences and crashed into the stumps. The West Indies batter stood disappointed after the ball hit the timber.
Why This Wicket Mattered for India
Getting a wicket inside the powerplay is exactly what a bowling side wants with the new ball. Arshdeep's full, outside-off delivery did the job — it gave Pooran no space to free his arms, and the stumps did the rest.
For India, this was the early strike the team was looking for in the first T20I of the series. Arshdeep kept his line tight and used the new ball well, which put the West Indies batting side under pressure right at the start of the innings.
Our Take: A Wicket That Set the Tone
To put it plainly, this is the kind of delivery that makes Arshdeep Singh valuable with the new ball. He did not try anything fancy — just a full ball outside off that asked the batter a simple question, and Pooran had no answer.
In our view, early powerplay wickets change how the rest of the innings unfolds. The batting side has to rebuild, and the bowling side gets to attack. Arshdeep gave India that advantage, and it is the sort of start that can decide the shape of a T20I.
