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This is a big opportunity for this 26-year-old left-arm pacer, who has already made his mark in T20 and ODI cricket.
IND vs ENG: Why was Arshdeep out of the team?
Arshdeep was recently struggling with a hand injury before the Manchester Test, in which he also got stitches. But now he is fully fit and he bowled at full tilt in the net session at the Oval on Tuesday.
According to a report in the Times of India, the Indian team management wanted to give Arshdeep a chance in the last two Tests, but the injury disrupted their plans. Now there is every possibility of his debut at the Oval.
IND vs ENG: Why is Arshdeep important for the team?
Arshdeep’s specialty is his ability to swing the ball both ways and bowl consistently at a length of 6 meters.
His childhood coach Jaswant Rai says, “Arshdeep is now fully matured. He should get a chance to play with the red ball. He can bring the balance that India has been looking for for a long time.”
Jaswant believes that Arshdeep can be India’s best left-arm pacer after Zaheer Khan.
Arshdeep surprised everyone by taking 17 wickets in the T20 World Cup. Especially in the final against South Africa, while bowling the 19th over, he gave only 4 runs and played a big role in India’s victory.
But Arshdeep says, “The real pressure is in the five-day game.”
This is the reason why he considers Test cricket to be the biggest dream of his career.
For the last one month, he has been working hard with bowling coach Morne Morkel. Mohammad Siraj and Akash Deep are expected to play with him in the Oval Test.
However, no decision has been taken on Jasprit Bumrah yet, as he has already played three Tests and attention is being paid to his workload management.
At present, India is trailing 1-2 in this series, and would like to level the series with a win in the Oval Test. Arshdeep’s debut has also raised new hopes among the fans.
Will he shine in his very first Test? It will be very interesting to see.