“You shouldn’t keep a bowler like Arshdeep Singh…”: Ex-KKR star’s blunt remarks on the pacer

Former India National Cricket Team and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) batter Aakash Chopra has made a bold remark on the star left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh's place in the team.

Aakash Chopra said an extremely talented pacer like Arshdeep Singh shouldn't be kept on the bench by the Indian team management, and he should be allowed to play regularly for the side.

Arshdeep Singh bags Player of the Match in Hobart

The left-arm pacer made his comeback to the India T20I Playing XI in the third match of the series against the Australia National Cricket Team at the Bellerive Oval in Hobart.

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On his comeback, Arshdeep Singh delivered a stunning performance and sent a clear message to the Gautam Gambhir-led team management that he needs to be among the first few names in the Indian T20I playing XI.

In the very first over, he got the massive wicket of the dangerous opener Travis Head, and in his second over, he cleaned up the star wicketkeeper-batsman Josh Inglis.

That was not it as Arshdeep returned to bowl in the death overs and dismissed the explosive all-rounder Marcus Stoinis after he had slammed 64 runs. Overall, he returned with the figures of 3/35, for which he also won the Player of the Match award.

Notably, Arshdeep missed out on the playing XI in the first two T20Is despite being the highest wicket-taker for India in the format, and Harshit Rana was chosen as the partner of Jasprit Bumrah

So what has happened suddenly that we can't play Bumrah and Arshdeep together? - Aakash Chopra

Speaking on his official YouTube channel, Aakash Chopra said that Arshdeep Singh proved that he is a must-have player in the playing XI, and he should continue to pair with Jasprit Bumrah going forward. He said:

"Arshdeep Singh, play him and get wickets. We are talking about that. Now you have played him and he has picked up wickets as well. In fact, 'Player of the Match' performance. This is what Arshdeep brings to the table, and again, the big question is, why didn't you play him for so long?"

"You are not playing him even after going to Australia and are sticking to your old plans. It's not like you weren't playing a batter at No. 8 always. When you won the T20 World Cup in 2024, Jadeja was at No. 8. Bumrah and Arshdeep used to play there. So what has happened suddenly that we can't play Bumrah and Arshdeep together?"

This was a big reminder that you shouldn't keep a bowler like Arshdeep Singh sitting out - Aakash Chopra

Aakash Chopra further said that the pacer issued a reminder to the Indian team management that he should be part of the team, irrespective of conditions. Chopra also highlighted that Arshdeep was the leading wicket-taker for India in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2024, where pitches were spin-friendly. He said:

"This was a big reminder that you shouldn't keep a bowler like Arshdeep Singh sitting out, and definitely not for an extended period of time. If the conditions are even slightly favorable for fast bowling, you should definitely play him. Even if they are not, but there are chances of dew, play him for sure," he said.

"In T20 matches, I feel you need fast bowlers for four overs both at the top and the tail. So you need eight overs of proper fast bowling. It means Bumrah and Arshdeep should play together in all conditions. The pitches were spin-friendly in the entire World Cup, but Arshdeep still played, and he was India's leading wicket-taker," Chopra observed.

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