Arzan Nagwaswalla ends an interesting 45-year wait as BCCI names him in India's WTC squad

Gujarat all-rounder Arzan Nagwaswalla has become the first cricketer from the Parsi community to be named in the Indian squad, after a long break of 45 years, something that has been written about quite copiously now that it has happened, though such matters aren't often mentioned in the context of the gentleman's game. The 23-year-old member of the minority community has been named as the standby player by the BCCI for the upcoming World Test Championship (WTC) final against New Zealand and subsequent Test series against England. The last time a Parsi cricketer played for the Indian men's team was way back in 1975 when wicketkeeper-batsman Farokh Engineer appeared in his last ODI against New Zealand on June 14. 

The BCCI has named Arzan in the squad alongside budding cricketers such as Abhimanyu Easwaran, Prasidh Krishna, and Avesh Khan. Arzan, who plays for Gujarat in Ranji cricket, first rose to fame when he took a five-wicket haul against Mumbai in the 2018-19 season, which was his debut first-class season. Arzan was subsequently forgotten after some inconsistent performances with the ball. However, the left-arm quick made a strong comeback for Gujarat in the 2019-20 season as he picked up 41 wickets in just 8 matches, finishing the tournament as the 12th highest wicket-taker. 

Arzan could not show his class in the next season of Ranji Trophy as the BCCI had to cancel the marquee event for the first time since its inception due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the young bowler got a chance to showcase his skills in the Vijay Hazare Trophy earlier this year, where he picked up 19 wickets in 7 matches to become the second-highest wicket-taker in the tournament. Arzan has been selected in the Indian squad based on his performance in domestic cricket. 

India's squad for WTC final & England series

India’s 20-member squad: Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Mayank Agarwal, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli (C), Ajinkya Rahane (VC), Hanuma Vihari, Rishabh Pant (WK), R. Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Jasprit Bumrah, Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Shardul Thakur, Umesh Yadav, KL Rahul (subject to fitness clearance), Wriddhiman Saha (wicket-keeper; subject to fitness clearance). 

Standby players: Abhimanyu Easwaran, Prasidh Krishna, Avesh Khan, Arzan Nagwaswalla

(Image Credit: GCA/Twitter/AP)