Former Australian skipper Ricky Ponting has backed Arshdeep Singh to fill in the big shoes of Jasprit Bumrah in the Champions Trophy. Bumrah has been ruled out of the eight-team tournament with a lower back injury, which he suffered in the fifth Test match in Sydney against Australia.
The Indian selectors, led by Ajit Agarkar, have picked Harshit Rana, as Bumrah’s replacement in the Champions Trophy squad. However, Ponting highlighted that Arshdeep Singh will do a similar job to Bumrah as he can deliver at both ends of the innings.
Meanwhile, Singh and Rana both lack experience in the ODI format. While Singh has played nine ODIs, Rana has featured in only three ODI games.
“I would go with the left-armer and I’d go with Arshdeep (to replace Bumrah),” Ponting said on 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.”
Ponting said Harshit Rana, Mohammed Shami, Hardik Pandya, and Varun Chakravarthy will play a key role for India in the Champions Trophy.
“Harshit Rana’s done more since he’s come into the side. (Mohammed) Shami is fit too,” Ponting noted.
“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.”
“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 he’s 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 begin their Champions Trophy campaign against Bangladesh in Dubai on February 20.
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