Arshdeep Singh set to make his Test debut in 2nd Test vs England- Reports

The Indian Cricket Team had their first practice session on Friday after reaching Birmingham from Leeds. The team enjoyed a long training session, that lasted for four hours, as per a report by Star Sports. The three fast bowlers who played in the first Test - Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, and Prasidh Krishna did not bowl in the practice session. However, Arshdeep Singh and Akash Deep had an extended bowling session with the team. Both of them bowled long spells with the new ball. After bowling with the new ball, Arshdeep Singh came back and bowled with the old ball.

He also bowled from around the wicket, thereby preparing himself for all the situations in the game. It could indicate that the left-arm seamer is likely to make his Test debut in the second Test. Earlier, reports had suggested that Jasprit Bumrah might rest for the second Test and Arshdeep Singh’s long presence in the nets intensifies his case of getting his maiden Test cap. Both Nitish Kumar Reddy and Shardul Thakur focused on their batting and bowling during nets, while Kuldeep Yadav and Washington Sundar also rolled their arms over. 

The second Test match is scheduled to take place between 2nd and 6th July at Edgbaston, Birmingham. Arshdeep Singh has picked the most wickets for India in the T20 internationals and has played nine ODIs as well. In 63 T20Is, he has 99 wickets to his name at 18.30. However, he is yet to make his Test debut for India. He holds some experience playing red-ball cricket in England. Turning up for Kent in the County Championship last year, he took 13 wickets at an average of 41.76.

He can move the ball both ways, and his ability to bowl with control for longer periods makes him a great pick for the second Test match. That being said, there is a possibility that Akash Deep might make his Test return. In seven Tests played for India, he has picked 15 wickets at an average of 35.20. With the bat, he has scored 81 runs in 10 innings with the highest score of 31.