Young India pacer Arshdeep Singh’s stocks have grown by leaps and bounds after his heroics in the recently held T20 World Cup in the Americas.
Arshdeep finished the tournament as the joint-highest wicket-taker, alongside Afghanistan's Fazalhaq Farooqi, with 17 scalps to his name, helping India lift the coveted trophy.
Considering Arshdeep’s development, the selectors are looking to pick the left-arm pacer for the Test tour of Australia later this year.
Team India are slated to tour Australia for a five-match Test series for the first time since 1992. The series will get underway with the first Test in Perth on November 22. The second Test will be a D/N affair and will be played in Adelaide from December 6 onwards.
The third Test will start on December 14 in Brisbane and the fourth Test, the Boxing Day match will begin on December 26 in Melbourne. The fifth and final Test will be played in Sydney from January 3 onwards.
"Arshdeep has moved the ball impressively in white-ball matches for India. He could be asked to play a few domestic red-ball games, starting with the Duleep Trophy on September 5, to enhance his chances of selection for the Australia tour. There's a real chance that he could be India's trump card, along with (Jasprit) Bumrah, in Australia.
"In fact, the selectors are keen on another left-arm pace option in the white-ball side at least, which is why Khaleel Ahmed toured Zimbabwe and has been picked for both the ODIs and T20Is in Sri Lanka," TOI quoted a source as saying.
Arshdeep Singh is yet to make his Test debut, but he has surely made a mark in white-ball cricket. In 52 T20Is, the 25-year-old has claimed 79 wickets at an economy rate of 8.39 with two four-wicket hauls. He has also played 6 ODIs for India, picking up 10 wickets at an average of 18.40 with one five-wicket haul.
As far as First-Class cricket is concerned, Arshdeep has played 16 matches so far, taking 49 scalps at 31.97, which includes a five-wicket haul.
(With TOI Inputs)