• Source:PTI
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The wait to make his Test debut might have been excruciating, but Arshdeep Singh says a chat with fellow pacer Mohammed Siraj has taught him how to survive this "boring" phase and be mentally ready for the Asia Cup.

An unfortunate left thumb injury had ruled him out of the fourth and fifth Tests against England recently, when he was in contention to get the third seamer's slot.

"Mentally, in the last two months, I have learnt how to enjoy the boring time. In Test cricket or red-ball matches, 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 said on the sidelines of the ongoing Duleep Trophy.

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Despite bowling quite well for the North Zone, the left-arm pacer had to wait till the fag end of the second day to clinch his first wicket against the East Zone. It was a perfect occasion for Arshdeep to put into practice the advice of Siraj.

"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. He gave me this small tip and I really liked it.

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"The same thing happened here. They (East Zone) were just down four wickets, and the ball wasn't doing anything. So, that was the main motive... how to enjoy each other's company. That's how the results came," he added.

"This game, I felt really good. The last couple of months I was with the (Indian) team, trained a lot, bowled a lot and worked a lot with the S&C (strength and conditioning). Here, I bowled a decent long spell, 17 overs. It is coming out well, and the body feels well," he detailed.

But in a week's time, Arshdeep will be operating with a white ball in the Asia Cup in the UAE. The left-arm pacer is fully convinced about his adaptability.

"It's nothing like that. In the last Test (at the Oval against England), I started training with a white ball. I didn't know that there was a Duleep Trophy match in between. The workload was properly managed."