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Team India were treated to a grand arrival in Colombo ahead of their ICC T20 World Cup clash against arch-rivals Pakistan scheduled for Sunday, with left-arm pacer and the team's 'reel sensation' Arshdeep Singh enjoying and vibing to the drum beat that welcomed them at the airport, producing a trendy, viral moment at the instant with his charisma, energy and fun-loving nature.
When the plane landed at Colombo Airport, the local musicians and dancers gathered, decked out in traditional attire, with drums in hand. Head coach Gautam Gambhir, jokingly known for not smiling much, looked like a man on a mission as he marched through the crowd of musicians and dancers with his usual intense expression. Swashbuckling all-rounder Hardik Pandya brought in the swagger with a funky hairdo, walking with his girlfriend, Mahiera Sharma. However, it was Arshdeep, the reel-maker, the Instagrammer, the Snapchatter of the team, who stole the show with his dance, which is surely set to do numbers on social media, just like his videos featuring his teammates. Team India would be aiming to make Pakistan dance to their tunes once again, just like Arshdeep did to the sound of the drum, when the scorching, pacey deliveries from Jasprit Bumrah and Arshdeep Singh beat their bats and legs. They would be hoping that the dance shown by Arshdeep continues on the field as well, but with different players. Hopes would be on a star-studded line-up, consisting of Abhishek Sharma (if he recovers from stomach infection) or Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan, Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya and Rinku Singh to dance down the pitch on a regular basis, sending the leather flying into the sky. Arshdeep has a fine record against Pakistan, having taken seven wickets in four matches at an average of 17.57, with best figures of 3/32. The all-rounder Hardik has a fine all-format record against Pakistan, with 315 runs in 12 innings at an average of 35.00 and a strike rate of over 126.50, with two fifties and 25 wickets at an average of 18.60, with best figures of 3/8. They would also be banking on a red-hot Ishan Kishan to fire some big runs against arch-rivals and Abhishek to make a stunning comeback after a golden duck against the USA in the campaign opener and a stomach infection that kept him away from the Namibia clash in Delhi. Also, Tilak, who has 130 runs in three innings against Pakistan at an average of 130.00, including an unbeaten 69* in the Asia Cup final, would be aiming to bring his absolute best at number three against them and continue doing what Virat Kohli has done to Pakistan at number three for years. With Sri Lanka being a spin-friendly destination, plenty of eyes will be on Varun Chakravarthy, who has 63 wickets in 38 matches at an average of 15.19, with a four-fer and two five-fors to his name. (ANI)
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