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Ravichandran Ashwin points out how Arshdeep Singh has been regularly benched with India preferring batting depth and an extra spinner in their playing XI.
Arshdeep Singh last played international cricket in February 2025. (PTI Photo)
Contrary to expectations, India threw up a surprise when they benched Arshdeep Singh, their leading wicket-taker in T20I history, in the opening match of Asia Cup 2025 earlier this week. They instead went for a lone specialist fast bowler in Jasprit Bumrah who had pace-bowling allrounders Hardik Pandya and Shivam Dube for company with two specialist spinners and a spin bowling allrounder in Axar Patel competing the bowling attack.
However, former India offspinner Ravichandran Ashwin felt it’s not a new thing. He observes that head coach Gautam Gambhir has a preference for batting depth and spinners in playing XI and it’s a theme that could very well be implemented in the run to the next year’s T20 World Cup.
“It’s surprising but not a new thing since Gautam Gambhir’s era began. Even in the Champions Trophy when the wickets were dry, they went with a seamer light. They could have played Arshdeep there. It’s been a theme that we could see till the T20 World Cup,” Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.
Ashwin says India didn’t need an extra batter against an opponent like UAE, a team they skittled for 57 before chasing down the target in 4.3 overs.
Ashwin felt Arshdeep would be disappointed for not having made the cut.
“There are two things that Gambhir and even Suryakumar (Yadav) are leaning towards. One is batting depth. (But) Do you really need an extra batter against the UAE, and use Shivam Dube as the fifth bowler? If I was Arshdeep, I would be really disappointed. He has performed well everywhere and was even the No.1 T20 bowler a while back. He also performed well in the T20 World Cup that India won recently,” Ashwin said.
“Arshdeep would be upset for sure. But I think it is the theme that this team is going for. The next world cup is in India, and we have seen how Gambhir, even his KKR stint, loved his spinners. It looks like he’s backing that route yet again,” he added.
Ashwin doesn’t agree with the strategy though and feels India need to add another pacer in the mix.
“If India is going to go spin-heavy and play in spin-friendly conditions, I do think it is a quite dangerous thing. With this batting lineup, I wouldn’t really go spin heavy. But I do think we need to play the extra seamer in India. You are going to play in night conditions, and this combination wouldn’t always work. You definitely need an extra fast bowler,” Ashwin said.
“But that doesn’t mean it is Kuldeep or Varun who gets the axe. You shouldn’t make them sit out. Abhishek Sharma is also bowling so you have to sacrifice somewhere else to play the extra seamer. Bowlers always win you championships,” he added.
Feroz Khan has been covering sports for over 12 years now and is currently working with Network18 as Principal Correspondent. He embarked on his journey in 2011 and has since acquired vast experience in digital…Read More
Feroz Khan has been covering sports for over 12 years now and is currently working with Network18 as Principal Correspondent. He embarked on his journey in 2011 and has since acquired vast experience in digital… Read More
September 12, 2025, 13:05 IST
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