With Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami back in the reckoning following long injury layoffs, former India Head Coach Ravi Shastri said India's bowling attack must bolstered with the services of a left-arm seamer for the five-Test tour to England
"I'll be looking for a left-armer. I'll be keeping an eye on which left-armer is in good form, and try and squeeze him in there as the sixth (bowling) option," said the former India captain.
"It could be anyone. It could even be a white-ball specialist. I don't like this thing when they say someone like Arshdeep Singh is a 'white-ball specialist'."
Shastri said Arshdeep, who has been a permanent member of the India T20I side, has the qualities to excel in red-ball cricket.
"I'll keep a close eye on his red-ball record as well and the number of overs he bowls. If he can bowl 15-20 overs for me, he might very well be in the mix because he's got the mindset. He's a thinking bowler and I need a left-armer. It's just that," Shastri said.
"You need a left-armer, go and find him, whoever it is and whoever is the best of the lot -- pick them. There's Khaleel Ahmed, who again, his rhythm is good, he's bowling well. So it's important to get that mix," he added.
Both Arshdeep and Khaleel have previously featured in India's limited-overs squads.
Arshdeep has been dominant in T20Is and is the team's highest-wicket-taker ever with 99 scalps in 63 matches. He has also taken 14 wickets in nine ODIs, including a five-wicket haul in South Africa.
Arshdeep has shown promise in red-ball cricket, claiming 66 wickets in 21 first-class matches. His recent stint with Kent in the 2024 County Championship, where he picked up 13 wickets in five games, added valuable exposure to English conditions.
Khaleel, with 52 wickets in 19 first-class matches, has also been on the selectors' radar. He was part of the Australia tour, initially with India A and later as a travelling reserve for the Border-Gavaskar series, though a niggle cut his time short. He has taken 15 wickets in 11 ODIs and 16 wickets in 18 T20Is for India.
In the ongoing IPL, Khaleel has been exceptional in the powerplay, having taken 14 wickets at an average of 22.57 in 10 matches. Arshdeep has managed 13 scalps in 10 matches at an average of 21.15.
England will host India for a five-Test series -- the first of the next cycle of the ICC World Test Championship 2025-27 -- starting with the first Test in Edgbaston, Birmingham on June 20.
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