I would go with Arshdeep Singh over Harshit Rana: Ricky Ponting

There has been widespread buzz within the Indian cricket fraternity after Jasprit Bumrah was ruled out of contention for the ongoing Champions Trophy. Other than the returning Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh and Harshit Rana were drafted as the frontiline pacers.

A wave of discussions has followed regarding the shortlisting of the two to accompany Arshdeep. Former Australian skipper Ricky Ponting advocated he would pick Arshdeep over Harshit owing to their bowling characteristics.

"I would go with the left-armer and I'd go with Arshdeep (to replace Bumrah). 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 the 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," shared Ponting while speaking on The ICC Review.

'Would personally lean that way if I was India' - Ponting on Arshdeep Singh

Ponting further elaborated on the key reason going ahead with Arshdeep instead of Harshit.

"I don't think his death skills are as good as what Arshdeep Singh’s are. 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," he added.

Harshit made his ODI debut in the recently-concluded ODI series against England. Despite being a bit expensive, he impressed with his ability of coming back well after starting off underwhelmingly. For the unversed, he made his T20I debut in the same series. Arshdeep impressed in the only ODI he played, registering figures of 2/33 in Ahmedabad.

Also Read: 'This is not T20, this not a little party' - David Lloyd feels one-day format will be a challenge for Arshdeep Singh

Bumrah, who was India's leading wicket-taker in the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy, did not feature on the final day of the Sydney Test due to a back spasm. On further examinations, he was deemed to have suffered an injury in his lower back. The management was hoping for Bumrah's recovery ahead of the marquee tournament, but it was not to be.