NEW DELHI: Australian cricket legend Ricky Ponting has expressed his preference for Arshdeep Singh over Harshit Rana as a replacement for the injured Jasprit Bumrah in India’s opening match of the Champions Trophy against Bangladesh.
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.
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“I would go with the left-armer and I’d go with Arshdeep (to replace Bumrah),” Ponting told 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.”
Ponting also highlighted the strategic advantage of having a left-arm fast bowler in the team, emphasizing 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,” Ponting explained.
He also noted the positive signs for India, with key players like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli regaining form in the recent ODI series against England, and Shreyas Iyer’s performance strengthening the middle order.
“It’s great to see Shreyas Iyer back in the team and playing well in the middle order. He was great,” he added.
“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.”