AGENCY
NEW DELHI, Feb 19
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 the 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 emphasized 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 has 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 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 as the top scorer and Shreyas Iyer played a vital 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, looks in good order.”
Ponting also believes the momentum of India’s recent series win will help them going into the Champions Trophy.
“Winning is a habit, and having that momentum behind you can be beneficial. That might sound a bit contradictory to what I said earlier about a loss not having much impact, but when you’re winning, the confidence can carry over,” he said.
