Australian cricket legend Ricky Ponting has backed left-arm quick
Arshdeep Singh ahead of Harshit Rana as his first choice replacement
for the injured Jasprit Bumrah in India’s Champions Trophy opener
against Bangladesh in Dubai on Thursday.
Ponting’s recommendation comes despite Rana’s commendable performance
ahead of the ICC event, citing Arshdeep’s superior ability to bowl
during all phases of a 50-over match. According to Ponting,
Arshdeep’s skills, particularly with the new ball and in death overs,
closely match those of Bumrah, which India will miss.
“I would go with the left-armer and I’d go with Arshdeep (to replace
Bumrah). We know how good he’s been in T20 cricket and if you think
about the skill set, he probably provides a similar skill set to what
Bumrah does with new ball and death overs and that’s what India will
miss,” Ponting told The ICC Review.
“That’s taking nothing away from Harshit Rana because I think he has
got a lot of talent and we know what he can do with the new ball, but
I don’t think his death skills are as good as what Arshdeep Singh is.
Highlighting the strategic advantage of having a left-arm fast bowler,
Ponting emphasised their importance in big tournaments, especially
against predominantly right-handed batting line-ups.
“And just that left-arm variation, someone that can bowl left-arm with
a new ball and move the new ball. We know how important they are and
crucial they can be, especially in big tournaments when you’ve got a
lot of right-handers at the top. I would personally lean that way if I
was India,” said the World Cup-winning former Australia skipper.
Noting the positives for India from their recent outings against
England, Ponting suggested the side have plenty of options in their
15-player squad.
“Harshit Rana’s done more since he’s come into the side. (Mohammed)
Shami is fit too. I think Hardik Pandya still has a big role to play
on that side as well with the ball now to take a bit of the work away
from what Bumrah can’t do and make life a bit easier for Shami,” he
said.
“I think (Varun) Chakravarthy can have a huge impact on the tournament
as well for India. He’s probably pretty much through his career been
pigeonholed as a T20 bowler only, but he’s just with what he can do
and his variations and his skill, I think he can have a huge impact on
the Champions Trophy.”
India will head into the Champions Trophy after registering a 3-0
whitewash of England in the recently concluded ODI series, during
which multiple batters got in the groove. While Shubman Gill finished
top-scorer and Shreyas Iyer was vital in the anchor role, senior
batters Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli were also among the runs.
Counting on the positives, Ponting said, “It’s great to see Shreyas
Iyer back in the team and playing well in the middle order. He was
great. More importantly for India, (Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli) were
back scoring runs and that’s what they need going into big
tournaments. Rohit, Virat, your experienced players, you need them to
stand up in the big tournaments in the big moments.”
“So, everything for India right now, with the exception of the loss of
Bumrah, everything else looks in good order.”
Ponting also believes the momentum of India’s recent series win will
help them going into the Champions Trophy.
“I mean, winning’s a habit and to have that behind you, you can take
some positives out of that. And that might sound a bit different than
what I just said, because I said a loss doesn’t have much of an
impact, but when you’re winning, that confidence can carry over,” he
said.