Shastri urges India to shake things up with surprise picks for England Test series

Shastri also wants to see a left-arm pacer in the squad for the seam-friendly conditions expected in England, and pointed out Arshdeep Singh as someone who could fit the bill and shouldn’t be restricted to white-ball cricket.

“I'll be looking for a left-armer,” he said. “I'll be keeping an eye on which left-armer is in good form, and try and squeeze him in there as the sixth (bowling) option.

“It could be anyone. It could even be a white-ball specialist. I don't like this thing when they say someone like Arshdeep Singh is a ‘white-ball specialist’.

“I'll keep a close eye on his red-ball record as well and the number of overs he bowls. If he can bowl 15-20 overs for me, he might very well be in the mix because he's got the mindset. He's a thinking bowler and I need a left-armer. It's just that.

“You need a left-armer, go and find him, whoever it is and whoever is the best of the lot – pick them. There's Khaleel Ahmed, who again, his rhythm is good, he's bowling well. So it's important to get that mix.”

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