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Ahead of Team India`s Champions Trophy 2025 match against Bangladesh, former Australia batsman Ricky Ponting picked Arshdeep Singh over Harshit Rana. The “Men in Blue” will also look to fill in the huge void left by lead pacer Jasprit Bumrah.
Harshit Rana has done well for the side in the chances which came his way, but Ricky Ponting would still choose Arshdeep Singh as he is better suited for the 50-over format.
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“We know how good he`s been in T20 cricket and if you think about the skill set, he probably provides a similar skill set to what Bumrah does with new ball and death overs and that`s what India will miss. “That`s taking nothing away from Harshit Rana because I think he has got a lot of talent and we know what he can do with the new ball, but I don`t think his death skills are as good as what Arshdeep Singh`s are”, Ricky Ponting.
Ricky Ponting feels that the presence of a left-arm pacer in the playing XI is always crucial.
“And just that left-arm variation, someone that can bowl left-arm with a new ball and move the new ball. We know how important they are and crucial they can be, especially in big tournaments when you`ve got a lot of right-handers at the top. I would personally lean that way if I was India.”
Ponting added that the likes of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli getting back amongst in the preceding ODI series against England augurs well for India. “It`s great to see Shreyas Iyer back in the team and playing well in the middle order. He was great,” he said. “More importantly for India, (Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli) were back scoring runs and that`s what they need going into big tournaments. “Rohit, Virat, your experienced players, you need them to stand up in the big tournaments in the big moments. So, everything for India right now, with the exception of the loss of Bumrah, everything else looks in good order.”
(With PTI Inputs)
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