India’s bowling attack now has a new face with Arshdeep Singh earning a maiden call for the IND vs ENG Tests. Along with the left-arm pacer, Shardul Thakur also makes a return after 2 years. Veteran Mohammed Shami misses out, meaning Shubman Gill would have to find a new partner for Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj.
No Shami, onus on Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj
Mohammed Shami’s absence was felt in India’s Border Gavaskar Trophy loss to Australia in December-January. Shami along with Bumrah have been pillars of Indian fast bowling over the years. Shami is a veteran of 3 Test tours of England and his experience would be a huge miss in seaming conditions in the UK.
Siraj was part of the 2021 tour of England, and will once again partner Bumrah in attack. Siraj failed to inspire confidence in BGT, but has been one of India’s better red ball bowlers since his debut. He’s had a good IPL season with Gujarat Titans, where incidentally Shubman Gill is his captain.
Siraj and Bumrah in England
| Player | Mat | Wkts | BBI | BBM | Avg | Econ | SR | 5w |
| Jasprit Bumrah | 9 | 37 | 5/64 | 9/110 | 26.27 | 2.72 | 57.8 | 2 |
| Mohammed Siraj | 6 | 23 | 4/32 | 8/126 | 34 | 3.87 | 52.6 | 0 |
Who partners Bumrah-Siraj?
The squad for India vs England Tests has 3 more options for Shubman Gill: Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna and Akash Deep. Deep and Krishna are in the nascent stages of their India career, while Arshdeep is yet to make debut. Singh however has County Experience and a left-arm angle that makes him a ‘variety pick’.
“He’s a quality bowler and has had a taste of counTy as well. he plays domestic when he can. A tall guy, can bowl with the new ball, has body of work in red-ball cricket and in recent form in the last couple of years. Bumrah unlikely to play all five Tests, we needed a bit of variety,” chief selector Ajit Agarkar on Arshdeep Singh’s selection.
Arshdeep has been included as part of the India A squad which will play 3 games in England. The 25-year-old has had a good IPL season, with his Punjab Kings in the playoffs.
First Class stats of India’s pacers
| Mat | Wkts | BBI | BBM | Ave | Econ | SR | 5w | |
| Arshdeep Singh | 21 | 66 | 6/40 | 9/90 | 30.37 | 3.2 | 56.9 | 2 |
| Prasidh Krishna | 24 | 88 | 6/35 | 10/94 | 21.57 | 3.14 | 41.2 | 3 |
| Akash Deep | 38 | 128 | 6/60 | 10/112 | 24.19 | 3.1 | 46.7 | 5 |
Another player with a good IPL season is Prasidh Krishna. Krishna has a the purple cap with 21 wickets in 13 games. The Karnataka pacer has spent the last couple of months partnering Siraj under Gill, which could propel his case. Krishna is a HTD bowler as compared to the rest in the squad. Ishant Sharma had great success over the years in England and Prasidh will aim to mould a similar career.
Ajit Agarkar confirmed that Bumrah is unlikely to play all 5 Tests. That could see both Prasidh and Arshdeep Singh pair Mohammed Siraj. India also have Akash Deep in their ranks, while Shardul Thakur and Nitish Kumar Reddy will also be in the mix.
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