Once the Board of Control of Cricket in India (BCCI) announced the 20-member squad and the players on standby on Friday, one name stood out – Arzan Nagwaswalla. So, who is Arzan and why is he being taken to the United Kingdom? The reason for BCCI taking Arzan to the UK is because he will help Virat Kohli and Co prepare for the Trent Boult challenge. The left-arm pacer from Gujarat has been in good form in the domestic circuit over the last two seasons.
The 23-year old Parsi cricketer is a left-arm pacer who believes in swing, something similar to Boult – who would be the key for New Zealand at Southampton in the much-awaited inaugural World Test Championship final. Be it the 2017 Champions Trophy final or the 2019 World Cup semi-final, the Indian top order has had their problems against left-arm pace. With Arzan helping the star Indian batsmen in the nets, it could actually be the ideal preparation to combat the Boult threat.
Arzan shot to fame in 2018 when he destroyed a formidable Mumbai team at the Wankhede with 5 for 78 in 23.3 overs. The season that followed, Arzan came into his own as he scalped 41 wickets in the 2019-20 Ranji season. In that season, he picked up three fifers and a 10-wicket haul against Punjab.
In the recently concluded Vijay Hazare Trophy, his heroics with the ball helped Gujarat reach the semi-finals. He picked up 19 wickets, which included a 6 for 54 against Chhattisgarh.
Unfortunately, he went unsold in the 2021 IPL auctions. Santosh Desai, the Gujarat selector and someone who has seen Arzan grow from close quarters told Cricbuzz that he was surprised that the 23-year old pacer did not get an IPL contract.
“I always felt he should get a chance. In fact, I always thought he deserves a chance in the IPL. Somehow I don’t know why he didn’t get it, but he deserves an IPL chance,” Desai said.