India’s decision to sideline Arshdeep Singh from their first-choice XI in the Asia Cup has continued in the T20I series against Australia, as the left-arm pacer was excluded from India’s playing XI in the 1st T20I against Mitchell Marsh’s side.
The IND vs AUS five-match T20I series got underway on Wednesday at the Manuka Oval in Canberra, where Marsh won yet another toss and elected to field first once again.
Fans had eagerly been waiting for India’s playing XI, and when it was announced, it left them stunned, upset, and even furious, as Arshdeep, who is India’s leading T20I wicket-taker with 101 wickets, was left out of the side. Jasprit Bumrah and Harshit Rana were India’s two pacers, and Shivam Dube, the seam-bowling all-rounder, a third pace option.
India went with two mystery spinners in Kuldeep Yadav and Varun Chakaravarthy, and Axar Patel as the spin-bowling all-rounder.
Leaving Arshdeep out and including Harshit in India’s playing XI in the 1st T20I against Australia was a shocking move made by the Indian team management, headed by coach Gautam Gambhir and skipper Suryakumar Yadav.
In the Asia Cup, Arshdeep played just two games, both dead rubbers for India, when Bumrah was rested. While India could pick three spinners and Hardik as the second pacer in the UAE, it’s baffling to see a similar bowling combination in Australia, where having three spinners with Harshit and Dube as second and third pacers doesn’t seem to make a threatening attack.
India picked Harshit Rana as the second pacer ahead of Arshdeep Singh in the belief that Rana would add some batting depth at No. 8.
In the ODI series against Australia, Rana bagged six wickets in three matches and also made 24* crucial runs in the second ODI, reinforcing Gambhir’s backing of him as a No. 8 in India’s white-ball teams.
While Harshit may provide some vital runs from the No. 8 position, Arshdeep’s skillset and ability as a fast bowler are far superior to Harshit’s.
Indian fans were left angry at this decision by Gambhir and Suryakumar. Check out the reactions of some fans.
Australia: Travis Head, Mitchell Marsh(c), Josh Inglis(wk), Mitchell Owen, Nathan Ellis, Tim David, Matthew Kuhnemann, Josh Philippe, Xavier Bartlett, Stoinis, Josh Hazlewood
India: Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill, Sanju Samson(wk), Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav(c), Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Shivam Dube, Varun Chakaravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah
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