Former Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has questioned Arshdeep Singh’s exclusion from India’s T20I team against Australia. Singh was not part of the team’s playing XI for the first two matches against the Aussies as India preferred to play Harshit Rana ahead of him.
Ashwin reckons if India needs to rest any bowler, they should rest Jasprit Bumrah, whose workload is managed consistently. Singh’s omission from the final XI has been surprising as he is India’s leading wicket-taker in T20Is with 101 scalps. The left-arm seamer has the ability to swing the ball in the Powerplay overs and he can also hit the block hole in the death overs.
Ravichandran Ashwin said on his YouTube Channel, “If you want to experiment, then rest Bumrah. Bumrah is the one with workload management issues. You can rest Bumrah. See, Arshdeep Singh is your leading wicket-taker. When we will play the T20 World Cup, there will be some dew. I really hope there’s no dew because dew is a very dampening factor. But this Arshdeep debate is definitely something that’s very sad because Arshdeep Singh deserves his place.”
“My point is, Arshdeep Singh’s name should be the second name on your fast bowlers’ list when Bumrah is playing. And if Bumrah isn’t playing, then Arshdeep becomes your first-choice bowler on that team list. I just cannot understand how Arshdeep Singh keeps missing out from the XI in this side. I really don’t get it,” he added.
“Of course, Harshit Rana had a decent day with the bat, he came in and batted reasonably well. It’s not about him at all. It’s about Arshdeep. The way he performed in the 2024 T20 World Cup, and yet since then, he has consistently found ways to stay out of the team. He’s been benched so many times when he should have been playing.”
Ashwin urged the team management to play Arshdeep Singh in the final XI in the third ODI against Australia.
“He actually lost a bit of rhythm. The last time we saw him, during the Asia Cup, he bowled well, came back nicely in a spell, but he looked rusty. And your champion bowler will start looking rusty if you don’t give him game time. So it’s a really, really tough situation if you’re Arshdeep. I genuinely hope he starts getting the chances he deserves, man. He deserves to be there. And it’s not about someone else, that’s his spot. Please, play him.”
The third T20I between India and Australia will be played at Hobart on Sunday.
