Arshdeep stresses adaptability as he turns focus to T20 Asia Cup

After returning home without making his long-awaited red-ball debut in England, left-arm quick Arshdeep Singh is preparing for a bigger role in India’s pace attack at the upcoming Asia Cup in the UAE, where he is expected to share new-ball duties with Jasprit Bumrah.

The Punjab pacer returned to competitive cricket in the Duleep Trophy, where he featured for the North Zone, after spending the summer with India’s Test squad in England.

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Arshdeep, India’s leading wicket-taker in the shortest format with 99 scalps, said the experience of being with the Test squad was valuable, and particularly credited Mohammed Siraj’s mantra to beat boredom in red-ball cricket.

“In Test cricket or red-ball cricket, there is a time when the day gets boring. In the session after lunch, mostly the ball doesn’t do anything. So, how can you enjoy that? I spoke to [Mohammed] Siraj and he told me that when nothing is happening, how you enjoy that phase would tell you how successful you could be in red-ball cricket. He gave me this small tip. I really liked it,” Arshdeep said.

As the 26-year-old prepares to switch formats ahead of the T20 Asia Cup, he insisted that the training remains largely similar even as he still chases that elusive Test cap.

“When you are not playing, you just try to push your limits. The training is almost the same. You just put in more work when you are not playing. More overs, more strength work, more training, so that whenever you get the chance, you are ready and fully fit to go,” he said.

Arshdeep last played in the IPL final nearly three months ago, where he finished as Punjab Kings’ highest wicket-taker with 21 wickets in 17 matches, but stressed that he kept working hard. After completing his assignment with the North Zone team in the Duleep Trophy against East Zone, Arshdeep will once again need to shift focus to white-ball cricket, with the Indian team slated to reach Dubai for the Asia Cup preparations on September 4.

“Right from the last Test (at The Oval), I had started practising with a white ball. I didn’t know that there was a Duleep Trophy match in between. At the end of the day, red ball, white ball or pink ball, you have to play cricket and try and enjoy it,” he said.

Arshdeep said that switching formats doesn’t make much of a difference, but insisted on the importance of adaptability.

“I have got a chance at the Duleep Trophy, will play with a white ball next (at the Asia Cup). So the aim is to put in a lot of overs under your belt and play any format. The mindset is about how quickly you can adapt. In today’s cricket, a batsman can hit against the red ball and he can play conservatively against a white ball.

“So, it’s all about how you can adapt according to the situation, according to the wicket, according to the weather, when you have to put in effort, when you have to conserve yourself,” he added.

India’s first game at the T20 Asia Cup is against UAE on September 10. They will play Pakistan on September 14 and Oman on September 19 before the Super Four round gets underway from September 20.