“I was frankly surprised to see Prasidh” - Ajinkya Rahane slams team management for excluding Arshdeep Singh in 1st ODI

Ajinkya Rahane questions Prasidh Krishna's 1st ODI selection over Arshdeep Singh vs NZ: "frankly surprised" given Arshdeep's death bowling record despite India's 4-wicket win; seam selection debate heats up.

12 Jan 2026 15:52 IST

New Update

Former Indian middle-order batter Ajinkya Rahane has slammed the Indian team management for not including Arshdeep Singh in the playing XI for the first ODI against New Zealand, which India won by four wickets in Vadodara.

Interestingly, India went ahead with Mohammed Siraj, Harshit Rana, and Prasidh Krishna as three pace bowling options. Speaking exclusively on Cricbuzz, Rahane stated he was surprised to see Krishna in the XI ahead of Arshdeep.

"When Siraj and Rana started bowling the slower deliveries, that is when they started to look challenging. I was frankly surprised to see Prasidh, I thought Arshdeep would play. But again, it is the team management's call, they are giving Prasidh an opportunity to go out there and bowl with freedom and express himself," Rahane said on Cricbuzz.

"Ideally, your top two bowlers should be bowling those 10 overs. Depending on the condition and situation, sometimes miscalculations can happen from a captain's point of view. When you have six good bowlers with you, it happens. I'm glad the captain gave Krishna the extra over, it shows that he trusts him with the tough overs. If he bowls well, India can have him as an option for the World Cup. Still a long way to go, but India might get an option," he added.

Speaking about Arshdeep Singh’s exclusion from the XI, Indian skipper Shubman Gill has revealed that it was more about rotation, and with the ICC T20 World Cup approaching, Arshdeep has been rested.

“More about rotation, Arshdeep did well in the last series and Siraj wasn’t part of that, so we want to keep giving everyone opportunities as we build towards the World Cup, especially with not too many ODIs coming up,” Gill stated at the post-match presentation ceremony.

Batting first, New Zealand posted 300/8 in 50 overs, thanks to Daryl Mitchell's 84-run knock off 71 balls. In response, Virat Kohli's 93 off 91 propelled India to a four-wicket win with one over to spare.

Stay updated with the latest cricket news, match insights, and exclusive updates at BetBarter and download the BetBarter app to start betting today!