Arshdeep Singh had received his maiden India Test call-up for the recent England tour of five matches. However, he didn’t get a chance to make his India debut in Tests, as Jasprit Bumrah, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, and Mohammed Siraj shared the workload.

Arshdeep was on the verge of making his India Test debut in the fourth Test in Manchester; however, he had suffered a thumb injury before the match and missed out on selection. Despite appearing to regain fitness in time for the fifth and final Test at The Oval, the team management did not pick him.

Punjab bowling coach Gagandeep Singh revealed that the snub from India XI made Arshdeep Singh impatient.

“A few months ago, when he was in England, I spoke to him. He was getting impatient because he was not getting a chance. I just told him, ‘You have to wait for your time.’ I think they should’ve played him in England because he’s a swing bowler and he’s tall; everything’s good. I don’t know the team combinations; probably the coach (Gautam Gambhir) and captain (Shubman Gill) weren’t confident about him,” said Gagandeep to the Times of India.

Gagandeep Singh also revealed how Arshdeep Singh can do more to earn his Test cap.

“He can be a better bowler with more swing and more accuracy. I haven’t seen him in the last few months, but hopefully, when I do, I can assess him better. From the recent matches that I have observed, he can work more on line and length, yorker balls, and especially bouncers, which are the most effective deliveries in international cricket,” he added.

In the shorter formats, Arshdeep has already established his authority. The 26-year-old was instrumental in India's victory in the T20 World Cup last year and has played in 63 Twenty20 Internationals and nine One-Day Internationals.

He bowled the vital penultimate over to South Africa and gave up just four runs, finishing as the team's joint-leading wicket-taker.

“When I joined the Punjab team, Arshdeep had just come off a season of playing primarily T20 cricket. Arshdeep, at that point, was bowling wide of the stumps and relying heavily on slower deliveries. But in red-ball cricket, that approach doesn’t work. So, our focus was on tightening his line and length, spot bowling, and improving wrist position. We worked on ensuring that the ball landed on the seam more consistently to encourage natural swing, rather than relying on cutters,” said Gagandeep.

Arshdeep Singh has been named in India’s Asia Cup 2025 squad, with the tournament beginning on September 9 in the UAE.