Arshdeep gets rousing welcome back home in Mohali
India speedster Arshdeep Singh, who played a key role in the bowling department in the T20 World Cup final in West Indies to set up India’s title triumph, received a grand welcome back home when he touched down at Shaheed Bhagat Singh International Airport on Saturday evening. India speedster Arshdeep Singh being welcomed by fans at Shaheed Bhagat Singh International Airport in Mohali on Saturday. (Ravi Kumar/HT)Other than hundreds of fans, Arshdeep’s parents, sister, relatives, his coach, Punjab government officials, Chandigarh University officials and also his IPL franchise team Punjab Kings’ officials thronged the airport.Fans chanted slogans for the star cricketer and also danced on dhol beats. The lanky left-arm pacer rode a jeep for a road show. Expressing his thrill on winning the trophy, he said, “It’s wonderful to be back to such a warm welcome. Be it Delhi, Mumbai or Chandigarh, fans just have been outstanding, oozing with love and warmth. Winning the World Cup was like a dream come true and so much love from all corners is just out-of-the-world experience.”His parents and sister were travelling with the team in the USA and then West Indies, and also came back in the same Air India charter plane in which the team flew back after the hurricane scare in West Indies.After the road show, Arshdeep went to the Phase 11 gurdwara to seek blessings and then headed to his house in Kharar.Showcasing his spectacular skills with the ball, the fast bowler finished the tournament as the joint leading wicket-taker (tied with Afghanistan’s Fazalhaq Faaroqi) with 17 scalps. The 25-year-old also became the bowler with the highest wickets tally in a single T20 World Cup edition (tied with Faaroqi).Speaking about Arshdeep’s bowling in the World Cup, his coach, Jaswant Rai, said, “He did a fine job during the tournament. He held his nerve and gave his best in the final. South African batters were really going well, but Arshdeep, along with Bumrah and Pandya, pulled India back in the game. We are very proud of him.”Congratulating Arshdeep on his memorable performance, Punjab Kings CEO Satish Menon said, “It is a matter of huge pride for us to see one of our homegrown talents lifting the T20 World Cup trophy. We have always known Arshdeep’s skills and are happy to have the world recognise him as well. We, at Punjab Kings, are delighted to welcome him back home and join in on the celebrations.”The Punjab Cricket Association will also honour Arshdeep in the coming days. The BCCI has awarded ₹125 crore to the India team for their stupendous win.
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