'Just try to push your limits' - Arshdeep Singh shares Mohammed Siraj's mantra for Test cricket

Indian pacer Arshdeep Singh, who is still waiting for his maiden Test cap, has already begun taking lessons from India’s red-ball specialists. Having spent months alongside the team during the five-match Test series in England, the 26-year-old admitted that the experience from the sidelines was brilliant. Among the biggest takeaways for him was a mantra from Mohammed Siraj, India’s leading wicket-taker in the series, which changed his understanding of Test cricket.

India’s tour of England ended in a 2-2 draw. Siraj led the pace attack in two out of the five games and claimed crucial breakthroughs, finishing as the highest wicket-taker of the series. While Arshdeep did not feature in the playing XI, he treated the experience as a learning curve. After returning to competitive cricket in the Duleep Trophy revealed just how much he had gained from watching and listening to his senior peers.

"In Test cricket or red-ball cricket, there is a time when the day gets boring. In the session after lunch, the ball doesn't do anything. So, how can you enjoy that? I spoke to [Mohammed] Siraj and he told me that when nothing is happening, how you enjoy that phase would tell you how successful you could be in red-ball cricket. He gave me this small tip. I really liked it," he told ICC.

You have to play cricket and try and enjoy it: Arshdeep

Notably, Arshdeep's last competitive outing before the Duleep Trophy was the IPL final nearly three months ago, but he stressed that he kept pushing in training.

"When you are not playing, you just try to push your limits. The training is almost the same. You just put in more work when you are not playing. More overs, more strength work, more training, so that whenever you get the chance, you are ready and fully fit to go. I don't know how many thousands of balls I would have bowled in practice. It's not like there was a lack of bowling. I was properly managing my workload. The aim is to stay ready whenever you get a chance. Right from the last Test [at The Oval], I had started practising with a white ball. I didn't know that there was a Duleep Trophy match in between. At the end of the day, red ball, white ball or pink ball, you have to play cricket and try and enjoy it,” he added.

With the Asia Cup next on India’s calendar, Arshdeep is expected to play a bigger role alongside Jasprit Bumrah and take the new ball.