Chandigarh: Announcing India’s Test squad for England on Saturday, chief selector Ajit Agarkar said the focus was on the “big transition” that lies ahead. Besides the retirements of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, the upcoming five-Test series will also miss Mohammed Shami with the team management having to manage Jasprit Bumrah’s workload.
Among the pacers new skipper Shubman Gill can call upon will be Arshdeep Singh, the left-arm bowler who has rapidly built his reputation in white-ball formats. Although Arshdeep has established himself as a T20 match-winner, the trust factor will be there as the two go back a long way in Punjab cricket and were in India’s 2018 U-19 World Cup winning squad.
The 26-year-old, whose ability to move the ball could be crucial in English conditions, he also trained since 2023 with the red-ball to upgrade himself in Test cricket. Arshdeep played only five matches in the 2024-25 domestic season, three in the Duleep Trophy and two in Ranji Trophy, but playing in the County Championship for Kent in 2023 gave him useful experience of the lengths to bowl to cash in on his ability to swing the ball.
Arshdeep’s long-time coach Jaswant Rai, a former first-class cricketer, believes his ward will be ready for the challenge if called upon.
{{/usCountry}}Arshdeep’s long-time coach Jaswant Rai, a former first-class cricketer, believes his ward will be ready for the challenge if called upon.
{{/usCountry}}“His selection has come at the right time, he should be making his Test debut in England. He has worked hard in the last one year playing red-ball cricket. His stint with Kent has helped him gain confidence with the red-ball. He got to play only a few first-class matches for Punjab last season as he was busy playing for India in white-ball cricket,” he said.
Since his India debut in July 2022, in T20Is, Arshdeep has impressed with the new-ball and become effective in the death overs as well in white-ball cricket for the country and IPL. He chose to go to England two years back to build his red-ball experience in seaming conditions. He played five matches for Kent in Division 1 of the County Championship.
“During his Kent stint, he bowled a lot of long spells there and got to know how effective the length ball can be. He realised that if he bowled at a good length for longer spells, it will not be easy for a batter to score runs. Earlier, he relied more on the yorker,” said Rai. He hoped Shubman being familiar with Arshdeep’s talent will help the pace bowler.
Arshdeep rose into prominence as a bowler after being bought by Punjab Kings ahead of the 2019 IPL. Since then he has become the spearhead of the side, which has qualified for the playoffs this season.
Rai pointed out that sharing the dressing room with Bumrah has had a great impact on Arshdeep and said how winning the T20 World Cup in the West Indies last year on largely slow pitches has helped boost the bowler’s confidence.
“There is no question that Bumrah has had an impact as a fast bowler for India in the last decade. I have had long chats with Arshdeep on how Bumrah’s presence in the dressing room and as a bowling partner sort of helped him pick and learn things as an international cricketer. Bumrah has had a great impact on Arshdeep’s growth as a cricketer. Also, being part of the India T20 World Cup winning squad has done wonders for his confidence. The sense of pride he felt being part of the India team made him more resilient in his approach.”
“See Arshdeep is a character on the cricket field. He likes to express himself and take his chances with the ball. I have seen him mature as a bowler and study the opposition batters well in advance. Adaptability and patience are his strengths. He adapts tremendously well to the conditions and match situations. He is calm and patient to get his targeted dismissals,” said Rai, who had also scouted the bowler for PBKS.