Former India bowling coach Paras Mhambrey has credited Arshdeep Singh’s stint in county cricket as the reason for his growth and development as a red-ball bowler. Arshdeep played for Kent during the 2023 County Championship season.

He played five matches for Kent and took 13 wickets at an average of 41.76. The numbers may not look great, but the left-handed bowler later described that stint as having helped him in his evolution as a bowler.

Arshdeep made his international debut in T20I and earned a place in the starting XI thanks to his brilliant performances. His ability with the new ball stood out, while he also possessed skills as a lethal bowler. He made his ODI debut later that year.

But his limited experience in first-class cricket has always raised questions about his ability in the longer format. However, the youngster appears to have broken that code now.

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Paras Mhambrey talks about Arshdeep Singh’s future in Tests

During a conversation with News18 CricketNext, Paras Mhambrey spoke about Arshdeep Singh’s future in red-ball cricket. The former India bowling coach praised Arshdeep for his performances in ODI and T20I cricket.

“I think the idea was to make sure that Arshdeep plays a lot of first-class cricket. I think especially with the red ball. He is really doing well with the white ball. If you look at the way he approaches the T20 format, it is fabulous,” Mhambrey said.

Mhambrey further spoke about Arshdeep’s chances with the red ball. He said that Arshdeep has been given a break to play more Ranji matches, which will help in his growth as a red-ball bowler.

“Obviously the challenge now is to move to the red ball. I think that was the idea for us, to make sure that in the time that he wasn’t part of the white-ball team, he got a break, and to make sure that when Test cricket was being played, we could make sure that he was playing the Ranji Trophy.”

“And I think that’s where you really improve. You challenge yourself mentally and physically. You’re bowling a lot more, you’re doing it. And the more you bowl, the more control you can get. So the idea was to make sure I played the Ranji Trophy,” Mhambrey added.

Despite having played numerous white-ball matches, Arshdeep Singh is yet to make his Test debut. He has so far played just 16 first-class matches in which he has picked up 49 wickets at an average of 31.97.

Paras Mhambrey attributes Arshdeep Singh’s growth to his time in the county

Mhambrey recalled the moment when Arshdeep Singh was approached by the English county of Kent and considered it to be a defining moment for the youngster. The former Indian bowler mentioned that the challenges of playing county cricket helped Arshdeep Singh become a better bowler.

“When County came up, I think that’s where we are, obviously (KL) Rahul was on par with that as well and said, ‘Okay, go through that experience’. Because county cricket is challenging. You play four days, you drive from one end to the other, you get two days off and then you play a match, so it’s a constant journey of bowling and you challenge yourself physically and mentally.”

“You play like a professional so you have a lot of responsibility, you are expected to pick wickets, you are expected to win matches, so that extra responsibility is always there. So obviously you have to be at the top of your game, you can’t be below your level in any match so you have to keep pushing yourself, right? I think that stage has helped him as well because he has become a very different bowler. He is confident now,” concluded Mhambrey.

Arshdeep Singh’s record in international cricket

Arshdeep Singh has taken 83 wickets in 54 T20Is at an average of 18.75 and an economy rate of 8.37 so far. He played a key role in India’s triumph at the 2024 T20 World Cup where he emerged as the leading wicket-taker with 17 wickets in 8 matches at an average of 12.64 and an economy rate of 7.16.

Arshdeep has also played 8 ODIs so far and has picked up 12 wickets at an average of 24.08 and an economy rate of 5.05. He already has five wickets to his name in ODI cricket.