Arshdeep Singh hopes Duleep Trophy performance boosts Test case

India pacer Arshdeep Singh is hoping his return to first-class cricket can strengthen his case for a Test debut. The 27-year-old, who has played 18 ODIs and 91 T20Is, had not played a red-ball game for nearly a year before featuring in the 2026 Duleep Trophy quarter-final in Bengaluru. He took 3/53 and 1/40 for North Zone in their 52-run win over West Zone.

“Very rarely do I get the chance to play red-ball cricket, and this was a chance. I wanted to showcase my skill set and just see how many overs I can bowl. The rhythm feels nice,” Arshdeep said, as quoted by Cricinfo. He said he changed his training routine before the Duleep Trophy to focus specifically on bowling with the red ball. The left-arm seamer also said red-ball cricket gives bowlers repeated chances to trouble batters, as coach Ajay Sharma told him: “Even if you don't get wickets with the new ball, you have a chance to come back in the second spell.”