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India warned ahead of Asia Cup as Gautam Gambhir’s England call leaves pacer facing big challenge: 'He is short of...'
Arun emphasized that game time is vital for the left-arm pacer, as practice alone can’t replicate the rhythm and intensity of competitive matches.
Former India bowling coach Bharat Arun suggested that the upcoming Asia Cup will be a challenge for Arshdeep Singh. The pacer was benched for all five Tests on the England tour and did not get any match practice. However, in the Asia Cup, he is expected to partner with Jasprit Bumrah for the new ball attack. The left-arm pacer has been India’s go-to weapon in T20Is, emerging as their frontline strike bowler and topping the charts as the team’s highest wicket-taker with 99 scalps. He has a better strike rate in the format - 13.23 than Bumrah's, who has been India's biggest match-winner with the ball over the years - 16.95.
Arun underlined how crucial game time is for Arshdeep, pointing out that practice sessions alone can’t replicate the flow that comes from competitive matches.
"Arshdeep, we all know what he is capable of doing. He must have bowled a lot in England, but he is definitely short of match practice. The rhythm really comes from playing matches, no matter how much you bowl in the net and practice sessions," Bharat Arun told PTI in an interview.
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“It's a big challenge for Arshdeep Singh”
He emphasised that despite bowling extensively in training, only time in the middle will restore Arshdeep’s rhythm and effectiveness.
"I think it is important to bowl in matches. It's a big challenge for Arshdeep. How quickly he gets back his match rhythm would be very, very important. It can be in a jiffy or it can take him a couple of matches to get into rhythm," added the coach, who had two fairly successful stints as India's bowling coach between 2014 and 2021.
Arshdeep recently played in a Duleep Trophy match for North Zone, but his last full competitive series/tournament was the 2025 IPL season. He claimed 21 wickets in 17 matches for PBKS and played a pivotal role in their journey to the final, where they lost to RCB. He maintained a decent economy rate of 8.88 in the tournament. However, he was also part of the Champions Trophy squad, but he didn't feature in the playing XI for any of the matches.
