Arshdeep Singh’s name should be second in the list if Jasprit Bumrah is playing: Ravi Ashwin

Former India off-spinner and analyst Ravi Ashwin was surprised not to see Arshdeep Singh’s name in the playing XI in the first and second T20Is of the five-match series against Australia Down Under. 

Speaking exclusively on his YouTube channel, Ashwin asserted that going by his records, the left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh should be the second choice pacer after Jasprit Bumrah in the shortest format of the game.

"Arshdeep Singh's name should be the second name on your fast bowlers' list if Bumrah is playing," Ashwin said on the Ash ki Baat show on his YouTube channel.

"If Bumrah is not playing, Arshdeep becomes your first bowler on that team list. I just cannot understand how Arshdeep Singh keeps missing out from the eleven in this side. I don't really get it,” he added.

Additionally, Ashwin emphasized that he is not against Harshit Rana’s selection in the playing XI, but it’s about Arshdeep Singh not making it to the XI despite putting up exceptional performances in this particular format. 

"Of course, Harshit Rana had a decent day with the bat. He batted decently but this is not about him at all. It's about Arshdeep Singh. The performance he put in the T20 World Cup in 2024, after that he has consistently found ways to stay out of the team. He has been benched so many times that he has lost a bit of rhythm," he noted.

"We saw in the Asia Cup, he (Arshdeep) bowled well, he came back very well in the second spell but he looked rusty. Your champion bowler will look rusty if you don't play him. So it's a really tough situation if you are Arshdeep Singh and I really hope he starts getting the place he deserves. He deserves to be there and it's not about somebody else. He has a place in the team. Please play him," he concluded.

In the second T20I, Harshit Rana came ahead of Shivam Dube, scoring 35 runs in 33 balls with three fours and a six at a strike rate of 106.06. However, he failed to live up to expectations with the ball, conceding 27 runs in two overs.

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