With India's pace stocks thinning ahead of the 2025 England series, Arshdeep Singh’s County experience might just be the hidden gem in India’s red-ball rebuild
India's tour of England begins on 20th June, with five gruelling Tests scheduled at historic venues—Headingley, Edgbaston, Lord's, Old Trafford, and The Oval. For a team that has not won a Test series in England since 2007, the challenge is steep—and this time, it's without Kohli, Rohit, Ashwin, or Shami.
At the helm is 24-year-old Shubman Gill, the youngest Indian captain in the format since Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi. Right behind him is fellow Punjab boy Arshdeep Singh, ready to steam in. With just 12 First-Class matches under his belt and a red-ball average of 28.05, the left-arm quick was a surprise pick—but not one without reason.
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Arshdeep's inclusion wasn't born out of IPL fireworks or T20 hype. Instead, it took root during his quiet stint at Kent in the 2023 County Championship. In five Division 1 matches, he returned figures of 13 wickets at an average of 41.76—not eye-catching at first glance. However, what lies beneath the surface tells a better tale.
He bowled longer spells, adapted to the Dukes ball, and found rhythm against seasoned county batters. In swing-friendly conditions, he honed the skill of moving the ball both ways, adding the elusive away-swinger to his toolkit, something he previously lacked. These subtle upgrades provided selectors with something numbers couldn't always capture: growth through experience.
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It's easy to forget that Arshdeep leads India's T20I wicket charts with 99 scalps from 63 matches at an average of 18.30. In ODIs, he has taken 14 wickets in just 9 games, including a fiery 5/37 in Johannesburg.
Against England in limited-overs, his T20I returns are: 6 wickets in 6 games at 23.66. Even in ODIs, he has made his mark with 2/33 in the only match he has played against them. However, for all the flair with the white ball, red-ball cricket has been elusive.
This was not due to a lack of desire. Arshdeep was simply caught in a fixture squeeze. T20s, ODIs, IPL commitments—he was rarely free when Punjab played Ranji. Yet when the opportunity to play County cricket arose, he seized it with both hands.
India's pace battery seems fragile. Bumrah may not play in all five Tests, and Shami hasn't been selected. This opens the door for someone like Arshdeep—a tall, left-arm swing bowler, a rare asset for India since Irfan Pathan and Ashish Nehra—who offers a different option.
His ability to move the ball into the right-hander remains his primary weapon. However, with that late outswinger added to his arsenal, he presents a dual threat. His control over seam position and wrist release could render him effective with the new ball and just as formidable once it loses its shine.
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Arshdeep may begin as the fourth or fifth seamer, but a long series means rotation is inevitable. If the pitches behave traditionally—with cloudy skies and lateral movement—he could step up. It's one thing to perform with the white ball under lights; it's another to shine with the red cherry under a brooding English sky.
Even as England's Bazball revolution has tilted the balance towards batters, a swing bowler with guile and patience can still hold the aces, particularly someone who has already put in the hard yards on these very shores.
