Cricket | ‘Not being picked for England Tests left Arshdeep Singh impatient’ - Punjab bowling coach

Chennai: India’s lethal T20 leftarm pacer Arshdeep Singh’s much-anticipated Test debut in England never materialised, courtesy injury woes and selection strategies. He was ruled out of the fourth Test at Manchester after sustaining an injury to his left thumb. Despite appearing to regain fitness in time for the fifth and final Test at The Oval, the team management did not pick him.In Chennai for the Buchi Babu tournament, Punjab bowling coach Gagandeep Singh, who has been in touch with the young pacer, admitted that the wait has tested Arshdeep’s patience.“A few months ago when he was in England, I spoke to him. He was getting impatient that he was not getting a chance. I just told him, ‘You’ve to wait for your time’. 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,” said Gagandeep.So, what does Arshdeep need to do to earn that Test cap that has eluded him since he made his international debut in 2022 in the shorter formats? “He can be a better bowler with more swing and more accuracy. I haven’t seen him in the last few months, but hopefully when I do, I can assess him better. From the recent matches that I have observed, he can work more on line and length, yorker balls, and especially bouncers, which are the more effective deliveries in international cricket.”While the red-ball chance awaits, Arshdeep has already stamped his authority in the shorter formats. The 26-year-old has played 63 T20Is, nine ODIs and was a key figure in India’s T20 World Cup triumph last year. He finished as the team’s joint-leading wicket-taker and bowled the crucial penultimate over to South Africa and conceded just four runs. With the England setback behind him, death-over specialist Arshdeep will be raring to extend his impact in the upcoming Asia Cup in the UAE.Gagandeep helped Arshdeep hone his craft during the 2021 and 2022 domestic seasons with Punjab state team, just before the lanky bowler broke onto the international stage.Gagandeep guided the then rookie through the finer nuances of line and length, spot bowling, and wrist position.“When I joined the Punjab team, Arshdeep had just come off a season of playing primarily T20 cricket. Arshdeep, at that point, was bowling wide of the stumps and relying heavily on slower deliveries. But in redball cricket, that approach doesn’t work. So, our focus was on tightening his line and length, spot bowling, and improving wrist position. We worked on ensuring that the ball landed on the seam more consistently to encourage natural swing, rather than relying on cutters,” said Gagandeep.