Morne Morkel breaks silence on Gautam Gambhir constantly snubbing Arshdeep Singh

India National Cricket Team bowling coach Morne Morkel has finally broken his silence on the premier left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh being benched in T20I matches despite his exceptional record.

Morne Morkel said that they are trying out new things and different combinations ahead of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026, and with only a limited number of matches before the competition, they have been forced to take some harsh calls.

There will always be disappointment in terms of players and selection - Morne Morkel

The left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh is an unlucky man. He is the highest wicket-taker for India in T20I cricket and the only Indian to take 100 wickets in the format.

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He possesses exceptional skills, and his performances with the new ball and in the death overs have been quite sensational. The left-arm pacer can get breakthroughs for his team at any point in a match, and he bowls terrifically in pressure situations.

Despite all this, he was kept on the bench in the main matches of the Asia Cup due to India's spin-heavy strategy and was again snubbed in the first two T20I matches against Australia despite pace-friendly conditions on offer.

However, he finally got a chance in the third match, where he bagged the figures of 3/35 and was awarded the Player Of The Match at the Bellerive Oval in Hobart.

At a press conference ahead of the fourth T20I, Morkel talked about the Arshdeep Singh situation and said (as quoted by the Indian Express):

"It is not easy. There will always be disappointment in terms of players and selection, but that is something at times that, as a player, is uncontrollable.

“For us, from our side, we just keep on asking them to work hard and try hard and be ready for when they do get the opportunity."

There are limited games now leading into the T20 World Cup - Morne Morkel

Morne Morkel added they are trying out different combinations and match-ups so that India are fully prepared to win the next T20 World Cup at home.

"There are limited games now leading into the T20 World Cup, so it is essential for us to see how the players can react in certain situations under pressure; otherwise, it will be unknown to us. So it is a bit of playing those sorts of games and then still having the mindset to win the game of cricket,” said Morkel.

“You need to have options available. I think every team, if you look across the world, is playing around with options,” Morkel added.

Yes, we will probably know one or two combinations that we set - Morne Morkel

Morne Morkel further said that they want to try and see how certain players perform in different situations, as they want to be ready for all the challenges that might occur in the marquee tournament.

"Yes, we will probably know one or two combinations that we set, but I think in this game you need to be adaptable. You need to know where certain players can give you options in different roles. And if you are not going to try those roles and see how they handle the pressure in those situations, you are never going to know,” Morne Morkel added.

“And I think with a World Cup around the corner, you do not want to leave any stones unturned. You do not want to sit two years down the line and say, if only we tried that, or give this combination a bit more time, it would have developed. So yes, I think it is about playing it smartly,” Morkel concluded on the matter.

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