Siraj's Counsel Key to Arshdeep Singh's Mental Fortitude Ahead of Asia Cup Campaign

Arshdeep Singh has revealed how Mohammed Siraj helped him cope during a difficult phase when he was confined to the sidelines on India’s tour of England.

In the five-match Test series, Siraj featured in every game as India’s tireless workhorse, while Arshdeep did not get a single opportunity, even with injuries to several pacers and concerns over Jasprit Bumrah’s workload.

To make matters worse, Arshdeep sustained a left thumb injury that ruled him out of the fourth and fifth Tests. Having gone through the tour without playing a single competitive match, the left-arm seamer has now returned to action in the Duleep Trophy.

He is representing North Zone in their ongoing clash against East Zone in Bengaluru before heading to the UAE for the Asia Cup.

“Mentally, in the last two months, I have learnt how to enjoy the boring time. In Test cricket or red-ball matches, there is a time when the work gets boring. Like the session after lunch, the ball doesn't do anything... how can you enjoy that?,” Arshdeep said on the sidelines of the ongoing Duleep Trophy.

“I spoke to Siraj, he told me that when nothing is happening, how you enjoy that phase will tell you how successful you can be in red-ball cricket. He gave me this small tip and I really liked it.

In the Duleep Trophy, North Zone find themselves firmly in control after building a commanding lead of 563 runs with eight wickets still intact in their second innings. Earlier, their bowlers had sparked a dramatic collapse, dismissing East Zone for 230 by taking the last six wickets for just 30 runs.

“The same thing happened here. They (East Zone) were just down four wickets and the ball wasn't doing anything. So, that was the main motive... how to enjoy each other's company. That's how the results came,” he added.

The Asia Cup begins on September 9, with India set to play their opening match against the UAE on September 10.