‘Gill, Gambhir’s lack of trust in Arshdeep left him impatient on UK tour’ – Punjab coach claims
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "‘Gill, Gambhir’s lack of trust in Arshdeep left him impatient on UK tour’ – Punjab coach claims")
‘Lack of trust in Arshdeep left him impatient on UK tour’ – Punjab coach claims Photograph: (AFP)
Tipped to make his much-anticipated Test debut in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, Arshdeep failed to impress the captain (Shubman Gill) and coach (Gautam Gambhir), leaving him impatient about his chances, Gagandeep revealed.
Arshdeep Singh and Kuldeep Yadav were the two bowlers who didn’t feature in any of the five matches on the recently concluded UK tour, leaving fans and everyone wondering why. While it’s understandable why Kuldeep didn’t get a chance, purely due to the playing conditions in England, Arshdeep not getting one baffles most people, including Punjab’s coach Gagandeep Singh. Tipped to make his much-anticipated Test debut in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, Arshdeep failed to impress the captain (Shubman Gill) and coach (Gautam Gambhir), leaving him impatient about his chances, Gagandeep revealed.
Despite having all the tools to succeed in such conditions, the lack of trust from the management kept him on the bench for all five games. Speaking to Times of India (TOI), Gagandeep revealed his chat with Arshdeep sometime during the UK tour.
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“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’ve 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," Gagandeep said in a chat with Times of India. “I don’t know the team combinations; probably the coach (Gautam Gambhir) and captain (Shubman Gill) weren’t confident about him.”
With Jasprit Bumrah not being available for selection for all games, the selectors and the leadership group preferred Prasidh Krishna as the backup option, with even Akash Deep also getting a couple of matches. While Krishna and Akash Deep played two games each, frontline quick Mohammed Siraj featured in all matches, returning with 23 wickets. But Arshdeep failed to make his Test debut.
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Gagandeep also emphasised what Arshdeep must do to improve his bowling and further push his case for a Test debut.
“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," he said. "From the recent matches that I have observed, he can work more on line and length, yorker balls, and especially bouncers, which are the more effective deliveries in international cricket.”
Meanwhile, Arshdeep is part of the 2025 Asia Cup squad, which starts September 9 in the UAE. Bumrah and Harshit Rana, alongside two seam-bowling all-rounders Hardik Pandya and Shivam Dube, are also part of the squad.
