BCCI recently announced the 20-member squad that will tour Sri Lanka in July for the white-ball series. Apart from the main squad the governing body also named five net bowlers. 

Punjab Kings (PBKS) pacer Arshdeep Singh, who impressed everyone with his bowling in the IPL 2021, is among the five net bowlers that will travel along with Team India to Sri Lanka. 

The Shikhar Dhawan-led team will play three ODIs and three T20Is against the hosts at the R Premadasa International Stadium in Colombo. The ODIs will take place on July 13, 16, and 18, while the T20Is will be played on July 21, 23, and 25.

Arshdeep Singh says that he will try to impress and pick Rahul Dravid’s brain during India’s tour of Sri Lanka in July 2021. Dravid was the coach of the 2018 U19 World Cup-winning Indian team, of which Arshdeep was also a part.

In an interaction with India Today, PBKS pacer Arshdeep Singh admitted that he was not expecting a call for a Sri Lanka tour. He said that it’s a great opportunity for him to work with Rahul Dravid again, who will coach Team India in Sri Lanka, and he will try to impress and pick his brain to learn more. 

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“To get a call was surreal. I was not expecting it at all. And to work with Rahul sir again is kind of a cherry on the cake. I have very fond memories of working with Rahul Sir. It is a great opportunity for me to work with him again. 

“He is someone who treats every player in the squad equally. I will try to impress him and will definitely pick his brain in the Sri Lanka tour,” Arshdeep Singh told India Today. 

“I have very fond memories of the U-19 World Cup. It was Rahul sir, who picked me for the U-19 World Cup and has always appreciated my performance, whether it is for Punjab in the domestic circuit or the Punjab Kings in the Indian Premier League (IPL),” he said. 

Singh admitted that playing in IPL changed him as a cricketer as bowling to the likes of KL Rahul, Chris Gayle in the PBKS nets helped him a lot. He added that his fear of bowling crucial overs in the match has gone. 

“Playing in the IPL changed me as a cricketer. When you start to bowl the likes of KL Rahul, Chris Gayle, Mayank Agarwal, David Malan, Nicholas Pooran in the nets, it helps you analyze your own flaws. 

​​​​​​​The fear factor of bowling the crucial overs in the match has gone. I have started to back my executions, which helped me get the required results,” he said. 

Singh talked about the advice Mohammad Shami gave him saying that he will try to execute it in Sri Lanka in the nets. 

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“During the IPL, Shami bhai has always told me that for a fast bowler to reach perfection, one needs to keep on improving. It is a continuous process. And to increase my speed, he also suggested a few tricks. 

“He has asked me to bowl with a shorter run-up and to work on my arm speed. It will help me generate pace. I have worked on it and will execute it in Sri Lanka in the nets,” he said.

Arshdeep Singh said that his love for the game was since his childhood and he aims to play for India. 

“I started playing the game because I fell in love with it as a kid. I am not someone who thinks about the results. My childhood coach Jastwan Rai has always told me to trust the process. 

“My aim has always been to give my 100 percent on the ground and keep learning from my seniors and juniors. My ultimate aim is to play for India, and I have reached one step closer to my dream. But the actual work has just begun,” he concluded. 

(India Today inputs)