Punjab’s bowling coach Gagandeep Singh has revealed that Arshdeep Singh was getting impatient as he couldn’t find a place in India’s playing XI in the recent Test series against England, as all other pacers
managed at least one match, with Anshul Kamboj even flown in later.
A Test debut for Arshdeep was not to be, as he warmed the bench for the entirety of the England tour. Ace India pacer Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj were sure-shot starters and Prasidh Krishna was preferred ahead of Arshdeep.
Before the Manchester match, the left-arm pacer got injured and was ruled out of the game. Arshdeep has played 21 first-class matches till now, picking up 66 wickets at an average of 30.37 with two five-fors.
“A few months ago, when he was in England, I spoke to him. He was getting impatient because he wasn’t getting a chance. I just told him, ‘You’ve got to wait for your time,” Gagandeep said while speaking to The Times of India.
“I think they should’ve played him in England because he’s a swing bowler and he’s tall, everything’s good. I don’t know the team combinations, probably the coach (Gautam Gambhir) and captain (Shubman Gill) weren’t confident about him,” Gagandeep added.
The Punjab bowling coach said that Arshdeep should look to work more on his swing and accuracy.
“He can be a better bowler with more swing and more accuracy. I have not seen him in the last few months, but hopefully when I do, I can assess him better,” Gagandeep said.
“From the recent matches that I have observed, he can work more on line and length, yorker balls and especially bouncers, which are the most effective deliveries in international cricket,” Gagandeep added.
Arshdeep has been named in India’s team for the upcoming Asia Cup, which will start on September 9 in the UAE.
