Ravichandran Ashwin, one of the greatest spinners India has ever produced, advised head coach Gautam Gambhir once again to keep Arshdeep Singh in the playing XI for the upcoming Asia Cup final against Pakistan on Sunday at the Dubai International Stadium. The left-arm pacer, who is India’s leading T20I wicket-taker, has played just two matches in the eight-team tournament as the management has opted to go in with just one frontline speedster, Jasprit Bumrah, with Hardik Pandya and Shivam Dube filling in.
Arshdeep, 26, once again showed the world why he’s highly regarded in the shortest format. He brought India back, ensuring a victory for Suryakumar Yadav’s side in the Super 4s match against Sri Lanka. In the Super Over, Arshdeep Singh conceded just two runs, and India comfortably chased down the target.
Even in the penultimate over of the game in normal time, Arshdeep gave away 11 runs, leaving 12 runs to be defended in the final over. The left-arm pacer nailed his wide yorkers as Sri Lanka batters failed to get under his deliveries.
Speaking on his YouTube channel ‘Ash Ki Baat’, Ashwin said that Arshdeep is “mandatory” in the playing XI and there’s no reason why he should warm the bench in T20Is for India.
“Even before the start of the Asia Cup, I was saying that Arshdeep Singh is mandatory in the playing XI. He once again proved my point. What a terrific finish to the game, the way with which he bowled the Super Over, he reiterated why he’s mandatory. In this game, Jasprit Bumrah wasn’t there, which is a huge loss. Arshdeep Singh has once again given a great account of himself,” said Ashwin.
