Follow UsWhen a player doesn’t play after being on tour for nearly two months, frustration and boredom are two things that seep into him without much effort. But for India pacer Arshdeep Singh, it was rather a time to learn a new lesson: How to enjoy a boring time and keep yourself motivated.
"Mentally, in the last two months, I have learnt how to enjoy the boring time. In red-ball cricket, 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 remarked about his time on India's tour of England.
The remarks were made during a media interaction at the end of Day 2 for his side North Zone, during the Duleep Trophy 2025 quarter-final, as quoted by The Times of India.
Crediting India’s most successful pacer on the tour and the hero of the team, Mohammed Siraj, for a great tip, Arshdeep said, “I spoke to Siraj, and 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. I really liked that tip."
Arshdeep, who took a lone wicket during the North’s bowling effort, said that his aim was to bowl as many overs as possible, no matter the colour of the ball. "During the last couple of months with the [Test] team, I trained and bowled a lot and also worked on strength and conditioning.”
“I don't know how many thousands of balls I set down in practice. There was no lack of bowling. At the end of the day, white or red ball, you just play and enjoy it. The aim is to have a lot of overs under the belt," added the man who has been named in India's Asia Cup squad alongside Jasprit Bumrah as two of the primary pace bowlers.
The leading wicket-taker for India in T20Is, Arshdeep hopes to make it count when the opportunity arrives to play for India in the Asia Cup 2025.