Arshdeep Singh can become India's next Zaheer Khan: Anil Kumble

Arshdeep Singh picked thre wickets against Pakistan including Babar Azam [Source: Twitter]

Former India great Anil Kumble was one of the key contributors behind unearthing a talent like Arshdeep Singh during his stint as coach with the Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Punjab Kings for three years. 

Singh, renowned for his death-bowling skills, made his India T20I debut in July and has already seen the highs and lows of the game when playing at the international level.

In India's ICC T20 World Cup 2022 opening encounter, Singh pegged the Pakistani batters, claiming three crucial wickets, including a first-ball duck for Babar Azam.

Kumble, while on ESPNcricinfo's digital show Open Mic, spoke about how Singh going forward could be India's next Zaheer Khan.  In his short career, the 23-year-old has played 14 T20Is and claimed 22 wickets.

"…Arshdeep has certainly matured and I’d like to see him carry on. Probably what Zak (Zaheer Khan) did for India. I expect Arshdeep to go on to do some wonderful things for India.

I worked with him for three years and I could see the kind of development that he has had in the T20 format, and last year’s IPL was a classic example of how he handled the pressure."

Khan, widely regarded as one of India's finest bowlers, made 309 international appearances between 2000 and 2014. 

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