He has played two games in the Asia Cup 2025 and proved his worth on both occasions.
Only under the current management, Arshdeep Singh won’t find a spot in India’s T20I side. He has been their finest operator in this format and has all the skill sets to excel in any condition. But the obsession with the batting depth means a premium bowler like him sits out.
He has played two games in the Asia Cup 2025 and proved his worth on both occasions. Both fixtures have been high-scoring, but his superior expertise, even if expensive at times, has come to the fore every time. For instance, Arshdeep made a terrific comeback in the death overs last night against Sri Lanka when he conceded only two runs in the Super Over and ensured India earned a comfortable victory.
This is one of the very latest examples. He has been India’s go-to man in the powerplay and death overs in the last three years and is easily their second-best pacer since his debut. No other bowler from a full-member side has taken as many wickets as him in this timeframe.
Unfortunately, Arshdeep Singh’s spot in the XI has been unconfirmed despite performing well. The team will likely opt for batting depth and bench Arshdeep. However, India should persist with the left-arm pacer.
The next T20 World Cup will be in India, where speedsters generate new-ball movement, and Arshdeep specialises in extracting it early on. Secondly, he got some tail with the old ball against Sri Lanka, and his natural angle taking the ball away from RHBs makes him arduous to hit in slog overs. Even his control over his yorkers is excellent, and he can provide economical overs from one end.
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One common thing in all matches without Arshdeep is that India have used Jasprit Bumrah for as many as three overs in the powerplay. That’s because they want early wickets early on, which is understandable, but that left death overs vulnerable. If Arshdeep plays, India can utilise Bumrah’s overs optimally by spreading them throughout the overs.
They can use only two overs in the powerplay and one each in the middle and death overs. Since spinners operate, Bumrah can bowl as many as two in slog overs. With Arshdeep on the other end, India get the maximum quality when batters look to go hard.
The decks have been tricky for shot-making anyway, and once these two operate simultaneously, batters will get absolutely nothing. So, Arshdeep not only brings quality from his end but also allows the bowling unit to be flexible. His inclusion matters as much as that of other players.
There are two realistic and logical ways to fit Arshdeep Singh in the XI. India should remove Harshit Rana for Jasprit Bumrah in the strongest XI. That would mean Shivam Dube will continue on the bench, which is a wise move.
His batting has been unimpressive this Asia Cup. Further, he is no longer a force against spinners, even if his pace hitting has improved. That means Axar Patel can be promoted if there’s a need to counter slow bowlers, and he also brings the LHB dimension.
Dube’s bowling has been working well, but Arshdeep is a specialist with higher bowling value. So, India won’t require Dube’s bowling and will get a clear upgrade in the bowling department. That suggests India can afford to leave out the all-rounder since they already have ample batting depth.
The other option is to drop Axar Patel if they want to accommodate Dube in the XI. With Kuldeep Yadav and Varun Chakravarthy as other spinners, Axar’s bowling value reduces a bit. He has not completed his quota in four of six innings this Asia Cup.
They have Abhishek Sharma, who can bowl a few overs of left-arm spin and fill in if required. Dube will already be there to prolong the batting lineup. They can afford to have an extra pace specialist if the quality is as high as Arshdeep.
However, this might not be a wise move on surfaces assisting slow bowlers. Axar adds more value than Dube. So, Arshdeep should play, but India should be flexible with Axar and Dube and play one of them according to the pitch.
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