Pacer Arshdeep Singh is one step closer to making his dream Test debut for India very soon. The young bowler, who was earlier tipped off to break into the Indian team in the longest format of the game very soon, strengthened his case with a splendid performance in the recently concluded Duleep Trophy. With 13 wickets to his name in the tournament, the left-arm pacer has managed to grab the eyeballs of the selectors. His entry into the Indian Test team might just be a few weeks away, for all we know.
Test debut for Arshdeep Singh soon?
It has been two years since Arshdeep Singh made his debut for India cricket team in ODIs and T20Is. However, going with the trend at present, the southpaw too aspires to play and thrive in the longest format of the game. Five years ago, Arshdeep made his first-class debut for Punjab against Vidarbha and since then has gone on to take 62 wickets in the domestic circuit.
With India announcing an unchanged squad for IND vs BAN 2nd Test, Arshdeep’s chances of reaping the rewards for his Duleep Trophy performance might come at the series against New Zealand in October. While the selectors decided to pick Yash Dayal to groom him for the upcoming series against NZ and AUS, Arshdeep has put himself in front of the line to be in contention for a spot in India’s Test squad.
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Talking about Arshdeep’s performances in the Duleep Trophy, the pacer was consistent in delivering with the ball despite India D finishing last in the tourney. The first two games in the tournament saw the southpaw take a combined of four wickets only. However, he scripted a great comeback in the third-round match against India B where he finished with spells of 3/50 and 6/40, with the latter being his career best in first-class.
Earlier, a report had claimed that while the selectors were interested to go with Arshdeep Singh in the Test squad, they had expressed reservations over the lack of red-ball cricket played by the pacer over the last couple of years. Well, that seems to have changed now, at least minutely after the Duleep Trophy.
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And if he isn’t rewarded for the performances in the aforementioned tourney with a call-up for IND vs NZ Tests, he has another chance in the form of the Ranji Trophy that will kick-off before India depart to Australia for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
Arshdeep Singh’s first class record
| Mat | Inns | Wkts | BBI | BBM | Avg | Econ | SR | 5w | 10w |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19 | 34 | 62 | 6/40 | 9/90 | 29.67 | 3.22 | 55.2 | 2 | 0 |
Can Arshdeep Singh make it to the Test side?
Arshdeep Singh will face a steep challenge in finding a place in India’s Test squad, given that there are multiple young pacers in the fray. This includes Akash Deep, Yash Dayal, Mukesh Kumar, Khaleel Ahmed and more. Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammad Siraj and Mohammad Shami are for sure picks in the side, which means it leaves very little room for the selectors to squeeze in young pacers. It remains to be seen if the selectors will go ahead with their thoughts of giving Arshdeep Singh a chance in Tests and it could might as well come in the home series against New Zealand.
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