Arshdeep Singh's Test dream set to come true in Australia tour

India’s T20 World Cup 2024 hero and left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh’s dream to play Test cricket for the country is likely to be fulfilled during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia later this year. The 25-year-old pacer has again and again reiterated his ultimate dream to play Test cricket.

It seems that the Punjab lad’s heroics in India’s triumphant T20 World Cup 2024 campaign have almost handed him the maiden call-up to the Test side for the upcoming Australia tour, where Rohit Sharma and Co. are set to play a five-match Test series in November-December this year.

Arshdeep Singh's maiden Test call-up is on the horizon for the Australia tour

Indian selectors are contemplating including the left-arm pacer in the Test team, primarily known for his prowess in limited-overs cricket. Having been impressed by his stunning performance in the T20 World Cup 2024, the selectors are keen to place a bet on Arshdeep for the Australia tour.

He finished the T20 World Cup 2024 as the joint-leading wicket-taker with Afghanistan's Fazalhaq Farooqi with 17 wickets in the tournament. It is being said that Arshdeep was asked by the national selectors to play a few matches in the upcoming Duleep Trophy to boost his Test call-up chances.

A source close to the development told Times of India: “Arshdeep has moved the ball impressively in white-ball matches for India. He could be asked to play a few domestic red-ball games, starting with the Duleep Trophy on September 5, to enhance his chances of selection for the Australia tour. There's a real chance that he could be India's trump card, along with (Jasprit) Bumrah, in Australia.”

The source added, “In fact, the selectors are keen on another left-arm pace option in the white-ball side at least, which is why Khaleel Ahmed toured Zimbabwe and has been picked for both the ODIs and T20Is in Sri Lanka.”

Notably, Khaleel and Arshdeep both are currently in Sri Lanka with Team India. They will be seen in action in the upcoming three-match T20I series followed by a three-match ODI series against Sri Lanka. India’s tour of Sri Lanka will begin with the first T20I match on July 27 in Pallekele.

Riyan Parag and Harshit Rana set to be groomed for future

Meanwhile, Riyan Parag has been reportedly selected in both the white-ball squads for the Sri Lanka tour because the middle-order batsman Tilak Varma is currently injured.

The Indian selectors want to groom Parag, known for his ability to bowl decently and his exceptional fielding skills apart from his explosive batting for the future, and that’s why he is on the Sri Lanka tour.

Similarly, Harshit Rana has been handed the maiden call-up to India’s ODI squad, impressed by his ability to deliver yorkers, slower balls, and other variations at the death, as these qualities make him a valuable asset in white-ball cricket.

The Indian selectors are keen on grooming Rana, Parag, and Khaleel for the future, as the Indian team is already entering the transition phase. Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Ravindra Jadeja already retired from T20I cricket.