From Almost Leaving India For Canada To Becoming ICC Men's T20 Cricketer of the Year: 7 Interesting Facts About Arshdeep Singh

Left arm India pacer Arshdeep Singh celebrated his 26th birthday on Wednesday, February 5. He was born on February 5, 1999 in Guna, Madhya Pradesh, in a Punjabi Jatt Sikh family to Darshan Singh and Baljit Kaur.  

Arshdeep Singh's father Darshan Singh was posted to Guna as a member of the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) where he worked for more than 25 years. The family later moved to Kharar near Chandigarh. His mother Baljit Kaur is a Homemaker. She has also been seen with his father in interviews where they both share a lot of stories about India pacer.

Arshdeep has an elder brother, Akashdeep Singh, who resides in Brampton and a sister, Gurleen Kaur.

Back in 2017, Arshdeep Singh wasn't getting many chances to prove his worth on the cricket field at the top level. Since he wasn't getting a lot of opportunities, Arshdeep was contemplating to quit cricket and leave India to settle down in Canada.

However, after having a discussion with his family, Arshdeep decided to pursue his cricket career and it turned out to be a great decision.  

Arshdeep Singh was subjected to brutal social media trolling after the India-Pakistan match in the Asia Cup 2022. He was the target of vicious online trolling for dropping Asif Ali's catch in India's five-wicket defeat against Pakistan. His Wikipedia entry was also doctored, reading Arshdeep had been selected to play for the "Khalistani national cricket team".  

India pacer Arshdeep Singh won the ICC Men's T20I Cricketer of the Year for 2024. Arshdeep was the leading Indian wicket-taker in T20 Internationals last year, bagging 36 wickets in just 18 games. The left-arm pacer also played a huge part in steering India to the title at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 in the Caribbean. 

Arshdeep Singh is the most expensive Indian pacer in the history of the Indian Premier League. Arshdeep was sold for Rs 18 crore to Punjab Kings, who exercised the Right To Match (RTM) during the mega auction in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia in November 2024.  

Arshdeep Singh, who made his international debut in England in 2022, hasn't played Test cricket for India so far. In the past, he has expressed his ambition to play in all three formats of cricket, including Tests "As a player, we all start with red balls. At the age-group level, we play only with the red ball. The first thing you hold is a red ball. It's fun bowling with the red ball because it swings at the start. And when you maintain it well, you can swing it when it's old also. It is a different joy," Arshdeep had said. "If you represent the country in all three formats, it's huge. I was speaking about this to Jasprit Bumrah once. He asked me, 'What is your mindset? Do you want to play all three formats?' I said, 'Yes, I am very keen on playing all three formats and I want to win more and more matches for India'," he added.