If not for the left thumb injury before the Manchester game, Arshdeep Singh would have made his Test debut during India’s recent tour of England.

His selection in the Asia Cup squad suggests that the left-arm quick has regained his fitness. But, due to the injury in England, Arshdeep will enter the competition without any match practice, with the IPL final between Punjab Kings and Royal Challengers Bengaluru on June 3 in Ahmedabad being his last competitive appearance.

The Indian squad is set to assemble for their Asia Cup departure on September 4. With the tournament beginning on September 9 and India’s campaign starting on September 10 against hosts UAE, Arshdeep will not be getting too many training sessions at his disposal to get ready for the tournament proper.

Still, the time he gets at nets will at least provide him with the scope to shrug off the rust, be in good shape and regain rhythm. The probable match simulations during training will be of greater significance in the current situation for Arshdeep.

However, T20 cricket is Arshdeep’s familiar territory, and thus it shouldn’t take him much time to get into his groove. Neither are the UAE conditions unknown to the pacer, as he was there with the Indian team even the last time in 2022, when the Asia Cup was played in the T20 format.

Since then, though, Arshdeep has kept improving as a bowler in the shortest format with several spells that have set the game up for India or been game-changing. He is yet to have a five-for in T20Is, but given his record so far, he’s a potent wicket-taker for India as well as the team’s go-to bowler, both during the Powerplay and at the death.

A key member of the Indian squad that won the T20 World Cup crown in Bridgetown last year, Arshdeep has taken 20 wickets from 11 T20Is following the final victory over South Africa. Importantly, India’s pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah didn’t feature in any of those 11 games. The T20 World Cup final on June 29, 2024, was Bumrah’s last T20I appearance.

Bumrah and Arshdeep sharing the new ball in a T20I certainly gives India a fair advantage over their opponents. But even if Bumrah is unavailable, the progress Arshdeep has made in the shortest version of the game is a reassurance for India. Arshdeep possesses the prowess to have control over the rival batters.

“What stands out is Arshdeep’s work ethic,” emphasises former national selector Salil Ankola.

“He is very sincere when he’s out practising, those long hours he spends at nets go on to benefit him. I used to see (former India bowling coach) Paras Mhambrey talking to him during training sessions about the areas where he should look to bowl and what he needs to bowl when. He used to listen to what Paras said and tried to execute them. He’s a good listener,” Ankola, national selector till August 2024 and also a former pacer, elaborated.

A bowler who can swing the ball both ways, Arshdeep can also execute the yorkers and wide yorkers quite efficiently, something that was noticed in the final of the T20 showpiece at Kensington Oval.

In that penultimate over of the final, when the Proteas needed 20 to win off the last 12 balls, Arshdeep mixed those up with precision and gave away only four off the over as David Miller and Keshav Maharaj could barely connect any of the deliveries.

Those six balls from Arshdeep were crucial, considering Bumrah had tilted the momentum towards India by conceding only two runs with a wicket in the previous over.

In recent times, he has troubled batsmen even with the back-of-the-length stuff and by extracting awkward bounce with the new ball. The delivery with which he had foxed England’s Phil Salt in the T20I at Eden Gardens earlier in January is one instance.

“The ball swings in Dubai, too, at times. So, if that happens, Arshdeep could be even tougher to deal with,” Ankola stated. “What also helps is his ability to mix his deliveries up instead of relying largely on any one kind of delivery. That, too, has been key to his success.”

A successful Asia Cup campaign, followed by the T20Is in Australia and against South Africa at home, should help the 26-year-old approach next year’s T20 World Cup with the right kind of mindset.

If Arsheeep manages to pick up wickets in bulk at this Asia Cup, and doesn’t concede too many runs, it won’t be a surprise if he’s discussed for the home Tests against the West Indies and South Africa as the third specialist quick after Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj. Obviously, it won’t be too smooth an entry, considering Akash Deep and Prasidh Krishna have had their moments in England.

However, being a left-armer, the angles he will be able to create could give him an edge. Against the Proteas, Arshdeep, especially with the Eden pitch expected to favour quicks a little bit, could well be a factor as the reigning Test champions tend to falter against left-arm pacers.

But it’s T20s where Arshdeep enjoys a star status at the moment. And if India are to do well in the newest format of the game in the coming months, Arshdeep has to swing it well.