Who is Arshdeep Singh? He is the bowler who can swing both the new and old ball, alongside possessing the left-armer’s angle. He is the tall bowler who can surprise the batter with the short delivery. He is the bowler who seems to have the required smarts to mix up his lines and lengths. Arshdeep is also someone who is ever ready to bowl the tough overs.
So, with Jasprit Bumrah ruled out of the ongoing Champions Trophy, logic indicated that the left-arm pacer had the tools to succeed in this format. After all, he also had the experience of playing in a slew of T20Is.
Unfortunately, from Arshdeep’s perspective, the team management ended up preferring Harshit Rana for India’s first two games of the tournament. And by the looks of it, they will continue to do so.
Here, it has to be noted that Harshit himself has enough weapons in his artillery to pick up wickets at regular intervals: Hit-the-deck skills, the way he snaps the wrist and variations are all part of his skill set. He also seems to be a quick learner. No wonder that he already has 10 wickets at an average of 20.7 in ODI cricket.
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There is a third angle to India’s conundrum surrounding the formation of the pace attack, and that is Mohammed Shami. There are no question marks over Shami’s pedigree. Just over a year ago, he ended up plucking the most wickets in the 2023 World Cup – 24 scalps at an astonishing average of 10.7.
However, since then, he has been troubled by an ankle injury. Even after returning to competitive cricket, he has been laid low by niggles. Incidentally, in India’s previous game against Pakistan, Shami needed attention from the physio.
So, in that context, wouldn’t it be better to rest Shami for the game versus New Zealand and select Arshdeep? All those questions make for a valid argument.
Although it feels as if Shami has lost a bit of nip, he used all his wisdom and experience to bag a five-for against Bangladesh. But the Indian management have to tread with a reasonable amount of caution when it comes to his fitness. And the game against New Zealand could prove to be a window of opportunity for Arshdeep to find a place in the playing XI.
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