The Indian cricket team announced their Test and ODI squads for the upcoming tour of the West Indies, scheduled for July-August. Among the notable inclusions is Bengal’s talented pacer Mukesh Kumar, who has been named in both the Test and ODI sides. Meanwhile, senior pacer Mohammed Shami has been given a rest for the series.

However, one player who missed out on a spot in the ODI squad is young pace sensation Arshdeep Singh. Representing Punjab Kings in the Indian Premier League 2023, the left-arm pacer had a relatively underwhelming performance, except for his impressive defense of 15 runs in the final over against Mumbai Indians at Wankhede Stadium. Throughout the tournament, Arshdeep conceded runs at an economy rate of 9.70, which overshadowed his 17 wickets in 14 games.

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Former Indian cricketer Sunil Gavaskar came out in support of Arshdeep and advised the 24-year-old to focus on taking wickets consistently in domestic cricket. Gavaskar suggested that being left out of the team could serve as motivation for Arshdeep to perform exceptionally and earn his place back.

“Sometimes maybe being left out of the team is also great incentive to try and pick up heaps of wickets. Maybe that is what Arshdeep needs to do. He needs to pick 5-fors continuously and then he will be automatically picked for the team,” Sunil Gavaskar expressed in an interview with Sports Today.

Gavaskar further praised Arshdeep Singh, hailing him as the future of Indian cricket in all formats. Drawing a comparison to Jasprit Bumrah, who started as a T20 specialist and later became an asset in all formats, Gavaskar emphasized the importance of encouraging Arshdeep to showcase his skills across different formats.

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“He is the future in all formats. He has already started to do little bit well in England in county cricket. Just like Jasprit Bumrah came on as a T20 bowler and went on to spearhead the Indian bowling attack. Arshdeep Singh is somebody who can play all formats of the game and you need to encourage him to do that,” Sunil Gavaskar stated.

Arshdeep Singh’s most recent ODI appearance was against New Zealand at Hagley Oval in November 2022. So far, the Punjab seamer has played only three ODIs and is yet to claim a wicket in the format.