Left-arm fast bowlers are rare commodities. Since Zaheer Khan’s retirement, the Indian cricket team has given opportunities to a few left-arm pacers but no one has managed to cement his place so far. Arshdeep Singh is one left-arm seamer who is a fairly consistent player for the team but is yet to hit his true potential. Ahead of the start of the 2nd Test between India and Australia, head coach Rahul Dravid was asked about the lack of quality left-arm pacers in the team. As the journalist used the references of Shaheen Shah Afridi and Mitchell Starc, Dravid gave an epic response.
“A left-arm fast bowler brings a lot of variation. You forgot the name of Zaheer Khan. But selectors and management definitely watch out for these talents. Arshdeep Singh played well in the recent ODIs, he also played Ranji Trophy, where he picked 4-5 wickets. He’s young, he’s developing,” Dravid said in the press conference ahead a couple of days before the start of the Delhi Test.
“There are other guys who are performing. But only being a left-handed pacer will not help you get into the side, you need to perform as well,” the coach said.
Be it Zaheer Khan or Ashish Nehra they didn’t get a chance just because they were left-hand fast bowlers but they were good,” he added.
“Agar 6ft 4′ bowler hain aapke paas toh aap bata do (If you know someone 6 ft4 bowler let us know). You took the names of Mitchell Starc and Shaheen Afridi, but in India, we rarely find someone as tall as 6ft 5′ who bowls left-hand fast.
Dravid also admitted that the selectors are closely observing left-arm pacers like Arshdeep, Khaleel Ahmed, and Mukesh Choudhary.
