Overview
- Arshdeep returned to red-ball cricket for North Zone and took 3 for 53 and 1 for 40 as his side beat West Zone by 52 runs to reach the Duleep Trophy semi-finals.
- He said India’s Gautam Gambhir-led management told him to keep performing and that when the time is right he would get a Test chance.
- Arshdeep reported he shifted training to red-ball work before the tournament to test his stamina and bowling rhythm over longer spells.
- The pacer remains primarily a white-ball specialist with 91 T20Is and 18 ODIs, and his first-class record stands at 23 matches and 71 wickets with an average around 30.
- Selectors will weigh his Duleep showing against team balance and conditions because India has rarely used left-arm seamers in Tests recently, and his county stint with Kent in 2023 is part of his red-ball development story.