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Australia cricketing legend Ricky Ponting suggested India captain Shubman Gill to feature with Arshdeep Singh in the upcoming Test series against England which is scheduled to start from June 20. Ponting backed the 26-year-old’s character, work ethic, and technical strengths and reckons that the left-arm speedster will be a valuable asset for India in the upcoming red-ball assignment.
Arshdeep, who is yet to make a debut in red-ball cricket, has been named in India's 18-member squad for the upcoming five-Test match series against England.
“I've had a good chance to get to know him really well. He's a great character to have around the team,” Ponting said of Arshdeep, who he coaches in the Indian Premier League at the Punjab Kings.
“He's a fun-loving guy. He's very laid-back around the group, which is great. Which is what we all like.
“As soon as the squad was announced the other day, the Test squad, the first thing I did in our team meeting was to make sure that I acknowledged that Arshdeep had been picked in front of everybody and just congratulated him in front of everybody.
“I think it's well deserved. I think he’ll bowl well in England as well.”
Arshdeep who has cemented his spot in India's T20I setup with 99 wickets across just 63 games, the left-arm seamer’s maiden Test call-up also comes on the back of his performance in red-ball domestic cricket as well, with 66 wickets coming across 21 first-class matches.
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“I would actually have him in their Test team at the start. He's very skillful,” Ponting noted.
“I think the Dukes ball will help him in the UK as well. And I just think to have that point of difference, having a left-armer in your team, I think will be something that, if India don't do it then it'll be a bit of a surprise to me.”
Ponting also said that the speedster's County experience will surely help him to understand the conditions well and that will benefit India. Arshdeep picked up 13 wickets in five Division 1 games, with his best bowling figures being 3/58 in his County Championship spell with Kent last year.
“He's played county cricket and he knows the conditions there as well,” Ponting noted.
“Arshdeep is close to six-foot-four, so he's going to get decent bounce...as we know in England the ball still swings when it is 30, 40 or 50 overs old.
“To have someone that's got that swing bowling ability and a left-armer, I think is something that the Indian team should definitely look out for on that tour.”
Arshdeep is currently featuring in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025, where he is representing Punjab Kings (PBKS). He picked up18 wickets in 14 matches, he's Punjab's top wicket-taker this season
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