All you need to know about Arzan Nagwaswalla?
Friday, May 7, must’ve been the happiest day for Arzan Nagwaswalla as he was named among the standbys for India’s bumper tour of the UK, featuring the World Test Championship final against New Zealand and the five-Test series versus England.
Nagwaswalla was the only real surprise pick with the selectors opting for an extended squad considering the importance of the assignment in England and also the stringent health safety and travelling regulations amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Arzan Nagwaswalla, the left-arm speedster from Gujarat, has been presumably picked to emulate the prodigious swing of Trent Boult in the nets. He is now the first Parsi cricketer in nearly more than four decades to make it to the Indian Test squad.
The 23-year-old made his first-class debut in 2018 and has since taken the domestic game by a storm. He has taken 62 first-class wickets from 16 matches at an average of 22.53, including 4 five-wicket hauls and as many four-fers.
Who is Arzan Nagwaswalla?
Arzan Nagwaswalla first burst into the limelight with an inspiring spell of 5/78 against Mumbai, the most successful team in the history of Ranji Trophy and followed that up with a breakthrough 2019-20 season in India’s premier domestic first-class competition.
Nagwaswalla returned with 41 wickets in 8 matches and was the leading wicket-taker for Gujarat in that winter’s Ranji Trophy, averaging only 18.36 per scalp with a strike-rate of 39.4. His tournament tally included three fifers in an innings and one ten-wicket haul for the match. The seamer played a pivotal role in helping Gujarat reach the semi-finals, where they lost to Saurashtra. In that match played in Rajkot, Nagwaswalla bagged seven wickets.
Arzan Nagwaswalla is a new addition in the #TeamIndia squad as a standby player. @GCAMotera
Watch this to know what he is capable of
— BCCI Domestic (@BCCIdomestic) May 7, 2021
Arzan Nagwaswalla has also had 39 scalps to his name from 20 List A matches, including 19 in the Vijay Hazare Trophy earlier this year, and 21 wickets from 15 T20 matches. He hasn’t yet played in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
It is mainly the exploits at the first-class level, through which the youngster has impressed the national selectors. Arzan Nagwaswalla has piled on a fantastic record in early days as a red-ball cricketer, showing the ability to swing the ball late – both away and into the right-handers and lefties – despite being used mostly as a first-change bowler. The fast-bowler doesn’t operate at express pace but can prove very effective in English conditions.
In an interview with Sportstar, Nagwaswalla expressed elation upon getting his maiden India call-up and said he will be raring to go if he gets an opportunity to play in the XI.
“The target would remain the same – I want to stay focused and trust my skills. I believe in the process and I will continue to do so,” he said.
“I know that whenever I will be given an opportunity, I will make it count. I just keep telling myself that it is okay to wait, whenever a chance will come my way, I will prove my worth.”