India's pace attack includes Mohammed Siraj, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, and more.
As the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 will wrap up next week, India will head to England for a five-match Test series starting on June 20. The recent squad announcement for the Test tour saw many changes in comparison to India’s last Test assignment Down Under. The Test captaincy hat has been passed to Shubman Gill after the retirements of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli from the red-ball format. An exciting inclusion in the squad is left-arm seamer Arshdeep Singh, who earned his maiden Test call-up.
As the head coach for Punjab Kings (PBKS) in the ongoing IPL 2025, Ricky Ponting has closely observed the work ethic of the 26-year-old. Ponting spoke about Arshdeep’s technique and what difference he can bring with the red ball.
“I would actually have him in their Test team at the start. He’s very skillful. I think the Dukes ball will help him in the UK as well. And I just think to have that point of difference, having a left-armer in your team, I think will be something that, if India don’t do it then it’ll be a bit of a surprise to me,” the Aussie veteran noted.
Ponting also mentioned how the seamer’s experience in English conditions will help the visitors. During his County Championship run with Kent last year, Arshdeep claimed 13 wickets across five Division 1 matches, with his best performance being three for 58.
“He’s played county cricket and he knows the conditions there as well. Arshdeep is close to six-foot-four, so he’s going to get decent bounce…as we know in England the ball still swings when it is 30, 40 or 50 overs old. To have someone that’s got that swing bowling ability and a left-armer, I think is something that the Indian team should definitely look out for on that tour,” Ponting added.
ALSO READ:
Arshdeep has firmly established himself in India’s T20I squad with 99 wickets in just 63 matches.
However, he earned his first Test call-up not only due to his white-ball success but also because of his consistent red-ball performances. He has taken 66 wickets in 21 first-class games.
In the current IPL season, he has been Punjab Kings’ leading wicket-taker, claiming 18 wickets in 14 matches. PBKS have kicked off their Qualifier 1 clash against Royal Challengers Bengaluru in Mullanpur. The winner of this high-stakes encounter will earn a direct spot in the IPL 2025 final.
For more updates, follow CricXtasy on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Telegram, and YouTube.
