India’s pace bowling stocks are not as strong as they used to be. Despite Jasprit Bumrah and what he can do. Mohammed Shami isn’t expected to last much longer. Bumrah, too, has fitness issues and there is no guarantee that he will deliver in every major outing. The next crop has promise, but all of them are works in progress.
Under the circumstances, and looking ahead to India’s next Test assignment in England, it’s important to take a look at the options. Yes, that series is about five months away and coming soon is the Champions Trophy. What if the answer lies in what India take to that competition? Arshdeep Singh, a certainty in that squad and the team’s white-ball specialist, could be the man.
Players get branded these days, especially after the proliferation of the T20 format. Some of them are often categorised as suitable for one particular format and not the other. Arshdeep and Suryakumar Yadav are for one-dayers and T20s. Ravichandran Ashwin, until he retired, or the likes of Devdutt Padikkal and Sarfaraz Khan, are among the options when it comes to Test cricket.
Sometimes, there is merit in such classifications. With so many formats played, even simultaneously at times, there is a need to build teams looking into the specific requirements that red-ball and white-ball cricket demand. In doing so, sometimes players get straightjacketed and their utility on a broader scale gets overlooked. People tend to forget that good in limited-over games doesn’t mean not good in Test cricket.
That’s what Arshdeep promises. He has played 60 T20Is and eight ODIs, which shows that the system wants to see him as a specialist for these. He is India’s second highest-wicket-taker in the shortest format, with a better strike-rate than Bumrah. His first-class record of 66 wickets from 21 games isn’t bad either. Yet, the selectors have somehow looked beyond him while naming Test squads.
In England, this bowler turning 26 next month could be a handful. He can move the ball both ways, has control over the bouncer and yorker and can also vary his pace effectively. Not all these weapons will be effective in England in a Test series, but his ability to extract movement can be an asset for a team still to find replacements after the Bumrah-Shami period, when they were supported by Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav and Bhuvneshwar Kumar.
Arshdeep made heads turn during his short stint with Kent in the English County Championship and this is what Ricky Ponting had to say about him. “From what I saw of Arshdeep Singh in red ball in his county stint, he looked more than ready for Tests,” the former Australia captain was quoted as saying. “India missed the trick by not including him for the BGT. He would’ve made a massive difference.”
Arshdeep will not have a lot of red-ball cricket under his belt this season because the Ranji Trophy is nearing the end of the group phase and he will be with the Indian team for the T20I and ODI series against England. There is the Champions Trophy and IPL after those. But for a team struggling to fill voids in the fast-bowling unit in Test cricket, he will still be a valuable addition in England.
Sometimes, a horses-for-courses policy becomes important despite the processes that are being followed in different formats. At this point in time, looking ahead to five Test matches in England, Arshdeep looks a better choice than the likes of Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep or Harshit Rana. His skills are appropriate for English conditions. There is food for thought for the selectors.
Also Read: What could be India’s pace-bowling options if Bumrah misses Champions Trophy?