New Delhi [India], August 30 (ANI): Left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh revealed the piece of advice he received from India’s hero in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, Mohammed Siraj, that has helped him in learning to enjoy the “boring times” in red-ball cricket. He even spilt the beans about how he dealt with the consistent exclusion from India’s final XI in the five Tests in England and kept himself motivated.
The 26-year-old is currently playing for North Zone in the Duleep Trophy match against East Zone in Bengaluru, which will be his last competitive game before India begins its Asia Cup campaign, with the tournament scheduled to start on September 9 in Abu Dhabi.
In T20I cricket, a format where Arshdeep has flaunted his prowess and remains the leading wicket-taker for the nation in the format. But before he returns to the format, Arshdeep opened up about enduring the gruelling phase in the format when the pitch hardly offers any movement for the fast bowlers.
“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 quoted from ESPNcricinfo.
Arshdeep was a part of India’s squad that toured England for five Tests earlier this year. Fans and former cricketers had heavily speculated that Arshdeep would finally receive his maiden Test cap and showcase his skill set in the red-ball format.
However, his wait continued after missing out on the call in the first three Tests, and the hope eventually faded away after he sustained an injury on his hand before the fourth fixture in Manchester.
The 26-year-old opened up about how he kept himself motivated while enduring the snub. For Arshdeep, it was simple: keep pushing his limits and adding a couple of more variations to his arsenal to stay ready whenever the opportunity presented itself.
“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.
“I don’t know how many thousands of balls I would have bowled in practice. It’s not like there was a lack of bowling. I was properly managing my workload. The aim is to stay ready whenever you get a chance,” he added. (ANI)
