T20 specialist Arshdeep looks to improve red-ball skills

Arshdeep Singh has come a long way since his Indian Premier League debut in 2021, and is now looking to make the most of the attention on him by improving his hitherto unknown abilities in red-ball cricket.

A fine IPL season last year with the Punjab Kings earned him a slot with the Indian team, and he has since established himself as one of their primary bowlers in the shortest format with 41 scalps from 26 games.

But the left-arm seamer has only played seven first-class games for Punjab, and in an effort to not be pigeonholed as a white-ball specialist, Arshdeep has signed a deal with Kent for the upcoming season in June and July.

Read | On Rahul Dravid's advice, Arshdeep joins Kent to play first-class games

"I have played only so many first-class games so I wanted to explore my opportunities," said Arshdeep on the sidelines of an event here on Tuesday. "I am looking forward to improving my skills as a bowler in the red-ball format. I want to know what my wicket-taking balls are, and you also get to learn how to bowl in those conditions."

Upgrading skills seems to be Arshdeep's default mode for when he was asked about how he intends to go about the upcoming IPL season, he insisted he has a lot to work on despite the prior season where he shepherded Punjab's bowling unit.

"See, you have to believe that you are the best to be successful at this level but at the same time, you cannot stop learning," he said. "I believe in my skills and all the things that helped me get here, but I cannot stagnate. I need to keep adding things and removing things that don't work."

As for the challenges he will encounter with the return of the home-and-away format, he said: "We will have a lot of team meetings to ensure that everyone is aware of what the conditions are. I guess it's mainly in the mind. You have to be flexible, adaptable and realise that the demand of the team is a priority. Also, knowing boundary dimensions is important."

Arshdeep looked to sandbag his performance against Pakistan at the T20 World Cup in Australia, but let slip that the game did help him do better in the tournament. "I think playing for India is enough of a confidence booster, that's why you are at that level. But that game against Pakistan (where he picked up 3 wickets for 32 runs) helped me feel like I belong there, it always comes down to believing in yourself."