Yash Dayal emerges as the top contender over Arshdeep Singh and Khaleel Ahmed for India Test call-up in fast bowlers' competition

Fast bowler Yash Dayal has been named in the 16-man squad for the first Test, marking a new addition to the team. While Dayal's selection was widely accepted, questions arose regarding the exclusion of Khaleel Ahmed and Arshdeep Singh. Arshdeep, in particular, was considered a strong contender for his Test debut, given his impressive performances in shorter formats and his crucial role in India's victory at the 2024 T20 World Cup.

According to the Indian Express, a combination of the three bowlers' performance in the first round of the Duleep Trophy and their experience in first class cricket was taken into account before choosing one of them. The Indian Express reports that the fact that Arshdeep couldn't make the most of pace-friendly conditions in Anantapur while playing for India D. Arshdeep recorded figures of 1/28 and 1/37 in the match, thus taking just two wickets in a game where neither team could get close to the 250-run mark in their innings.

Both Dayal and Khaleel played at the Chinnaswamy stadium in Bengaluru. Khaleel took figures of 2/54 and 3/69 for India A but he was also among the most expensive bowlers. Dayal, meanwhile, recorded figures of 1/39 and 3/50. Two of the wickets in the second innings were of Rinku Singh and Dhruv Jurel which was almost the turning point of the match.

It was a close contest between the three players but the fact that Dayal also is more experienced in long-form cricket than Arshdeep or Khaleel also went in his favour. Dayal has played 24 first class games thus far. Khaleel and Arshdeep on the other hand have played 13 and 17 matches respectively.

“Yash Dayal has played more first-class cricket than both Arshdeep and Khaleel. And in the first round of the Duleep Trophy match, Arahdeep got a green top in Anantapur but he couldn’t make the most of it,” a BCCI official is quoted as saying by the Indian Express.

“Khaleel bowled well but at the same time was erratic, while Yash bowled with more control. He turned the game for India B in the second innings after he dismissed Riyan Parag and Dhruv Jurel in quick succession. Although in the first innings, he picked up only one wicket but didn’t gave away easy runs.”