Anil Kumble believes Arshdeep Singh can do what Zaheer Khan did for India

Former India spinner Anil Kumble believes that Arshdeep Singh has the potential to deliver in the same way as Zaheer Khan did for India during his memorable career.

The 23-year-old left-arm pacer made his debut for India earlier this year on the back of a superb couple of seasons in the IPL. He has delivered some really impactful knocks since then, including a three-wicket haul against Pakistan in India’s Super 12 encounter of the T20 World Cup recently.

Kumble tracked Arshdeep’s growth as a bowler from close quarters during his stint as the Punjab Kings head coach and he is highly impressed with him.

“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,” Kumble said on ESPNcricinfo’s Open Mic programme.

The youngster has proven himself to be effective both with the new ball and in the death. His ability to bowl Yorkers accurately under pressure has earned him high praise from different pundits.

“I was really impressed with Arshdeep, how he’s come through. 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.

“He perhaps bowled the tough overs for the team and yeah, you don’t always look at the wickets column in the T20 game, you look at what moments the bowler comes up with,” Kumble added.

Kumble also talked about Arshdeep’s superb temperament as he was highly impressed with the way he handles himself in such a big game, that too in feint of 90,000 people at the MCG.

India registered a thrilling win against Pakistan in that match as Virat Kohli made a brilliant 82 to get them home. Arshdeep also played a crucial role in the match with his three-wicket spell.