It was not only wickets they were shouting about. Between a screaming mob and a flash-gun, here and there a new form of chatter started to spring up round Arshdeep Singh.
It was one of those nights when everything appeared to be tracked by the pacer of the left arm. The approach was easy, the stroke even simpler, and the bench behind him was constantly jumping up after each ball of the dot. Punjab Kings have been enjoying a good spell this season, and Arshdeep has been keeping it a secret. But as he strolled back to his position there were as many eyes on the stands as on the field.
It had already been taken up by a few of the crowd. The shots are interchanged in short, near casual shots to a recognizable face, Samreen Kaur, responding to a stressful over. Nothing out of the ordinary. IPL games are always attended by celebrities. And within minutes, social media feeds were going quicker than the scoreboard. Clips, screenshots, zoom-ins. fans that make attempts to interpret expressions such as they meant something more.
The next morning the conversation had changed. It wasn’t just about Arshdeep’s death overs anymore. One of his posts, quite ordinary, not objectionable, was on the spot. Comments piled up. Some jocular, some persuasive, others simply inquisitive. You might have sworn you heard how a story was being sewn, bit by bit, no one uttering a word.
None of it seemed to matter out in the middle though. Arshdeep kept time. At one time– about the 17th over– he hesitated at the head of his run, and looked out on the field, and simply stood still a moment. The type of pause bowlers make to reset. Or perhaps simply stuff up the ears. The next ball was right on the money.But still. the buzz would not go away.
And yet… the buzz refused to fade. More images surfaced. Yet another match sighting. Fans who draw bridges between dots that are or are not. It is almost becoming a trend in the Indian Premier League – where performances and personal lives are intertwined into one continuous stream of content. One frame is capable of going as far as a match winning spell.
The only thing that is unclear is.
Neither Arshdeep nor Samreen has said anything publicly. No yes, no no. In a contest this fierce there is nothing to be astonished at that silence. Gamers tend to seal off all that is outside the boundary rope, particularly when the stakes continue to grow higher with each match.
Within the dressing room, which you could feel, the emphasis does not have a new direction. Pat him on the back, still do so, teammates. During those mid-innings discussions, coaches lean in. The task is the same one – bowl and close games, carry on the momentum.
Beyond, however, the tale has become self willed. People will continue to watch, they will continue to speculate. That is what it is like today.
In the case of Arshdeep, the actual difference continues to be gauged in terms of overs and yorkers.The others. mere noise, at least at the present. The rest… just noise, at least for now.