"Rahul Dravid has already told me it is a Club with a great history" - Arshdeep Singh signs with Kent for 2023 County season

Indian fast bowler Arshdeep Singh has signed a contract with English county Kent for the upcoming red-ball season. Singh will be one of the overseas players for Kent during the matches scheduled for June and July 2023.

The left-arm pacer will play a total of five matches for Kent in the LV= Insurance County Championship. It will be his first stint with the club. Three other Indian players, namely Rahul Dravid, Navdeep Saini and Kanwar Shumshere Singh, have represented Kent in the past.

In a media release issued by the English county, Arshdeep Singh reflected on his signing and said:

"I am excited to play red-ball cricket in England and continue to improve my skills in the first-class game. I look forward to performing in front of Kent’s Members and supporters; Rahul Dravid has already told me it is a Club with a great history."

🇮🇳✍️ We're delighted to announce that @arshdeepsinghh will be a Kent cricketer for up to five @CountyChamp matches this Summer

Wicket-keeper Sam Billings welcomed Singh to the Kent team with the following comment on Twitter:

"Welcome legend."

Arshdeep Singh yet to play red-ball cricket for Team India

Arshdeep Singh made his debut in T20I and ODI cricket last year, but he is yet to represent the Indian cricket team in the Test format. Jaydev Unadkat is currently India's number one left-arm pacer in red-ball cricket.

Speaking of Singh's numbers in first-class cricket, the rising star has played only seven first-class matches, scalping 25 wickets. His best figures in the longest format of domestic cricket are 5/33, while his economy rate is less than three runs per over.

Singh played for Punjab earlier this year in the Ranji Trophy. He will aim to gain some valuable experience by playing county cricket for Kent and inch closer to a place in the Indian Test squad. It will be exciting to see how the left-arm pacer performs in county cricket.