New Delhi: Having a left arm seamer in the team is always crucial, hence Ricky Ponting Ponting would prefer Arshdeep Singh over Harshit Rana in India’s playing XI in the Champions Trophy.
Rana played in all of India’s three ODIs against England in the build-up to the Champions Trophy, producing decent performances as Arshdeep was included for only a game.
Yet, Ponting said Arshdeep is more suited to bowl in all phases of 50-over games, particularly with the absence of Jasprit Bumrah.
“I would go with the left-armer Arshdeep (to replace Bumrah),” Ponting said on The ICC Review.
“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.
“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’s are.
“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.”
‘Great to see Rohit, Kohli among runs’
Against England, Rohit Sharma scored a century while Virat Kohli hit a half century, to return to form after prolonged dry spells. Ponting said their return to form just in the nick of time is a good sign for the team,
“It’s great to see Shreyas Iyer back in the team and playing well in the middle order. He was great,” he said.
“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.”
I would go with the left-armer Arshdeep to replace Jasprit Bumrah in India’s playing XI for the Champions Trophy, former Australia skipper Ricky Ponting said. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
