Left-arm pacer Arzan Nagwaswalla has stated that former Indian bowler Zaheer Khan has always been his bowling idol and inspiration. Arzan Nagwaswalla further added that he had grown up watching Zaheer Khan. Like Zaheer, Nagwaswalla can also swing the ball both ways and be consistent with nagging lines and lengths. The pacer has been selected as a standby player for the forthcoming final of the World Test Championship and the 5-match Test series against England.
Arzan Nagwaswalla stats in domestic cricket
The 23-year-old has been quite impressive in domestic cricket. Arzan Nagwaswalla made his debut for Gujarat in the year 2018. He shot up the ranks on the back of brilliant performances in domestic cricket. In the Ranji Trophy 2019-20, he was Gujarat's leading wicket-taker with 41 wickets at an average of 18.36. He also picked up three five-furs in the season, including a 10-wicket haul against Punjab. Arzan Nagwaswalla has also been the net bowler for Mumbai Indians in IPL 2021. The youngster mentioned that he had an opportunity to speak with MI's premium fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India recently declared a 20-man squad for the forthcoming World Test Championship and India tour of England. Team India's first stop is going to be in Southampton. After that, India will play against New Zealand to decide the first champion of the Test format. Following their 3-1 victory against England at home, team India finished as the No. 1 side with 72.2 percentage points.
After the WTC, the five-match series against England in their home ground begins on August 4. The opening Test of the series is going to be held at Trent Bridge in Nottingham. Surprisingly, India defeated England at the same venue when they last met back in the year 2018. The Lord's, Headingley, Kennington Oval, and Old Trafford are the venues for the remaining four matches of the Test series.
India's squad
Virat Kohli (C), Ajinkya Rahane (VC) Rohit Sharma, Cheteshwar Pujara, Rishabh Pant (WK), Shubman Gill, Hanuma Vihari, Mayank Agarwal, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Shardul Thakur, Washington Sundar, R. Ashwin, Mohd. Scrikchami, Umesh Yadav, Ishant Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, Md. Siraj, KL Rahul (subject to fitness clearance), Wriddhiman Saha (wicket-keeper; subject to fitness clearance).
Standby players: Prasidh Krishna, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Avesh Khan, Arzan Nagwaswalla