IPL 2022: "Arshdeep Singh should get a chance against South Africa in June" - Virender Sehwag

Former Indian batter Virender Sehwag believes Punjab Kings pacer Arshdeep Singh deserves to get his maiden India cap in the home T20I series against South Africa. The five-match series will start soon after IPL 2022 from June 9. The former opener said giving young performers like Arshdeep a chance would give them experience while also allowing breaks for first-choice players.

Arshdeep's stats this season belie his impact on PBKS' campaign. He has picked up just three wickets from eight games. Hoewever, with an economy rate of 8, he has emerged as the best death-overs specialist of the season. The 23-year-old has bowled most of the difficult overs, deploying his pin-point yorkers and smart variations.

On a few occasions, he has even eclipsed teammate Kagiso Rabada, one of the best bowlers in world cricket, as the leader of the PBKS bowling attack.

Speaking to Cricbuzz, Sehwag said Arshdeep, Umran Malik, and Avesh Khan could form India's reserve pace battery in the leadup to the T20 World Cup. He said:

"You are talking about the T20 World Cup, I would say he should get a chance in the next series against South Africa in June. You'll know how he bowls against an international team and he'll get some experience too. You can give your main bowlers a break because there are T20s in England as well. Those who have performed in the IPL can be picked for the home series... Umran Malik, Arshdeep, and Avesh Khan can be tried."

While Avesh has already played two T20Is for India, Arshdeep and Umran are yet to make their debuts. They have been part of a few international series as reserves though.

The South Africa T20Is will begin on June 9, merely 10 days after the IPL 2022 final on May 29. India will then also tour England for a limited-overs series in July. The Men in Blue will play West Indies in an away series (dates not confirmed yet), and the Asia Cup in August-September.

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"There isn't much difference from IPL to international cricket" - Virender Sehwag

When asked about how difficult it would be for Arshdeep from IPL to international cricket, Sehwag stated that "there isn't much difference." He argued that the pressure of expectations is almost the same. He added that the only difference is that international teams don't have any gaps in quality like in the IPL.

He explained:

"There won't be much difference in the experience because IPL is also an international tournament. In our time, you used to play domestic, and there were no video cameras, and no crowd to watch the matches. So when you make the sudden jump from an empty stadium to a big stadium with so many people watching it live, that's what converts into pressure. That's what IPL has changed for young cricketers. Here people come to watch, it's telecasted live and they are under pressure to perform and they do that."

Sehwag added:

"So there isn't much difference from IPL to international cricket. The only thing is you get some batters in the IPL against whom you can bowl well and be on your way. But in international cricket, all are the top batters from a country so being successful against them is a challenge."

Arshdeep is currently in action against the Lucknow Super Giants at the MCA Stadium in Pune. You can catch the live proceedings here.