Indian pace pool continues to show might

Express News Service

CHENNAI: As the 2022 edition of the Indian Premier League came to an end, one of the key positives to come out of the tournament was the performance of the uncapped Indian pacers. The likes of Arsdheep Singh, Umran Malik, Avesh Khan, Yash Duyal, and Mohsin Khan made a mark to an extent where the first two earned their maiden India call-up for the South Africa series.

However, with India sticking to the same playing XI throughout the series, the duo did not get an opportunity against the Proteas. In the series against Ireland, Umran made his debut and showed a glimpse of what he was capable of. Arshdeep, on the other hand, finally got a chance to play in the warm-up fixture against Derbyshire on Friday.

The left-arm pacer took 2/29 and Umran picked up 2/31 as India, led by Dinesh Karthik, beat Derbyshire comfortably by seven wickets. While the Jammu & Kashmir fast bowler is already turning heads with his express pace, hitting the 150KMPH-mark often, the control exhibited by Arshdeep, especially in the middle and death overs, is what makes him stand out.

Although both are included in the India squad for the first T20I against England, Arshdeep did not make the cut with Jasprit Bumrah returning to the side after a prolonged rest from the white-ball side. With Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Avesh Khan, and Harshal Patel in the mix, it could be hard for Arshdeep and Umran to get a go against England.

England all-rounder Sam Curran felt the same as well in a select media interaction facilitated by Sony Sports Network on Thursday. “India has got a fantastic pool of bowlers now. I am pretty sure that Bumrah and Mohammad Shami are still their top bowlers across formats… whether they are rotated or bowl a bit. I think the other guys are new, very young and exciting. I think it’s an exciting time for Indian fast bowlers, but yeah, I think Bumrah and Shami are still their top options,” said Curran hours before BCCI rested Shami for the white-ball series.

As for Bhuvneshwar — who too, has had a good IPL for Sunrisers Hyderabad and has gotten only better after every game he played in South Africa and Ireland series — Curran felt that he could be a big factor in the white-ball series against India. “He is an amazing bowler and I have played against him in India and the IPL as well. He is obviously a fantastic skillful bowler who is going to be coming to England as well. Really looking forward to playing against him. He is on the top of his game, a fantastic bowler,” he added.

Brief scores: Derbyshire 150/8 in 20 overs (Madsen 28; Arshdeep 2/29, Umran 2/31) lost to India 151/3 in 16.5 overs (Hooda 59, Samson 38).