“ Arshdeep Singh should have been lucky in England, felt impatient, agitated ”

Punjab cricket team bowling coach Gagandeep Singh claimed that he was surprised Arshdeep Singh wasn’t given an opportunity in the IND vs ENG series despite being a part of the side. The southpaw, who is yet to make his long-awaited debut in whites, was left warming the bench throughout the five-match Test series. While he did come very close to playing his first Test in the IND vs ENG 4th Test in Manchester, an unfortunate injury to his hand during training saw him get ruled out of the match, ending his hopes.

Should Arshdeep have debuted in England?

Speaking to The Hindu, Gangandeep – who has worked in close quarters with the bowler – revealed that Arshdeep felt a little restless and impatient on not being given a chance in the Test team. The Punjab coach said that he was genuinely surprised that the southpaw wasn’t handed his debut despite conditions in England being seam and swing friendly.

“I personally felt he should’ve been given a chance in England. We spoke a few months ago when he was in England. He was feeling a bit restless and impatient about not getting an opportunity in the Test side,” Gagandeep said.

The Punjab bowling coach backed Arshdeep to play Tests in the future, noting that his skillset was very much suited for red-ball cricket as well. Having being dubbed as a white-ball bowler for the longest of time, the southpaw was previously not given a chance in the red-ball format as the selectors cited his lack of experience.

“I told him ‘you have to wait for your time. Test cricket is different — it tests your skills and temperament in a way no other format does, but I believe his skillset is very well suited for red-ball cricket too. Given his height, natural ability to swing the ball, and improved control,” added Gagandeep.