Given the form India is in, making a few changes, that too against Oman, should not hurt them. For the unversed, Arshdeep Singh is a wicket away from the milestone of 100 wickets in T20Is. So, if Arshdeep Singh plays the game – it will be a big moment for him and of course – Arshdeep Singh has had to wait. He would be eager to get the ball in his hand and work up his magic.
Ahead of their final group-stage game that is against Oman, Gautam Gambhir and Suryakumar may opt to make changes. As per reports, ace pacer Jasprit Bumrah is set to be rested, while Arshdeep Singh is likely to get a go. It is a dead-rubber and hence it would be a wise move to rest Bumrah and keep him fresh and ready for the Super 4 game against Pakistan over the weekend. Bumrah has been doing the job when needed.
The curious case of Arshdeep Singh
Pacer Arshdeep Singh got his last T20I game exactly 223 days back: January 31, 2025 to be precise. The national team played one more game in Mumbai after that before assembling for the Asia Cup opener against UAE in Dubai. Arshdeep Singh is India’s most prolific wicket-taker in T20Is with 99 wickets from 63 games and is very close to becoming the fastest Indian to get 100 wickets in the shortest format but surprisingly he did not find a place in the playing XI for the game against UAE on Wednesday.
Arshdeep Singh also warmed the benches during the England Test series (barring fourth Test when he was ruled out due to a finger injury). Arshdeep Singh’s only game time ahead of Asia Cup was North Zone’s Duleep Trophy quarter-final against Central Zone where he didn’t look menacing.
It is still not very clear what is coming in Arshdeep Singh’s way to find place in India’s playing XI: Is it a niggle ? or team management’s tried and tested formula of shoring up batting till No. 8 and playing that third specialist spinner ? It was expected that Arshdeep Singh would be an automatic choice against UAE in the Asia Cup opener but much to to everyone’s dismay and surprise, he made way for third specialist spinner Varun Chakravarthy.
The team management hasn’t yet clarified yet if Arshdeep Singh was carrying a niggle but if that was the case, a replacement would have been called by now.Arshdeep Singh spent maximum time with strength and conditioning coach Adrian Le Roux on the eve of the opening game against UAE during the Indian net session at the ICC Academy.
Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya and Kuldeep Yadav, all three who were supposed to bowl in the opening game, opted rest while Arshdeep, Varun Chakravarthy and Axar Patel were the frontline bowlers present among others in the optional session.
But Arshdeep Singh rather than bowling, decided to hone his batting skills a bit and did a lot of fitness drills under Le Roux and bowling coach Morne Morkel’s supervision. He did short sprints, sprint repeats, strides for close to an hour and at times it felt like as if he was doing some ‘Return to Play’ fitness drills.If it was an ‘out and out’ fitness related issue, then physio Kamlesh Jain would have also monitored the session but that was not the case.
Arshdeep Singh being left out of India’s Asia Cup 2025 opener against the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Pakistan(PAK) was among the more surprising elements of their squad for the matches. In the end, it mattered little as India steamrolled UAE and Pakistan in Dubai, Now with a match against Oman could be treated as a dead rubber for India , Former Indian batting coach, Sanjay Bangar advises Team India to have Arshdeep Singh in the Playing XI vs Oman.
Arshdeep Singh has performed exceptionally well for India in T20 cricket- Sanjay Bangar
Former India cricket team batting coach Sanjay Bangar joked that the impact substitute rule needs to brought in to T20Is to allow Arshdeep Singh to make it to the line-up. India’s leading wicket-taker in the shortest format of the game was snubbed from the playing XI in their tournament opener against the UAE and then vs Pakistan. Sanjay Bangar had a rather humorous take on what it will take for Arshdeep Singh to make it the playing XI at Asia Cup.
Sanjay Bangar felt that Arshdeep Singh had performed very well in the shortest format. He added that he did not see any other changes in the Playing XI. The former all-rounder told ESPNCricinfo :
“Possibly, they could leave Jasprit Bumrah out for this match. Instead of him, Arshdeep Singh deserves a look-in. He has performed exceptionally well for India in T20 cricket. That is one change which I foresee. Apart from that, any other change looks difficult. One change seems enough. The hope is that other players get to play a lot more matches in the future”.
Sanjay Bangar also felt that India should consider batting first, if they get a chance, against Oman. He praised the Jatinder Singh led side for their bowling exploits, but admitted that they need to improve on batting front.
“India have bowled first in both their matches so far. They could look to bat first if they win the toss against Oman. But the impression that Oman have left, they have left that with the ball. In the first match against Pakistan, they has restricted them to within a score of 160 bowling first. The batting has been a challenge for them, and they will need to put in a better performance in that department in this match,” he said.
Former India batting coach Sanjay Bangar opened up upon Shivam Dube’s role in the T20I side. He felt that the management have looked at the Mumbai All-Rounder as the third pace bowling option and tried to make the most of his six hitting ability.
“It is because he offers the medium-pace bowling option. The strategy that India have adopted, where Hardik Pandya and Jasprit Bumrah are taking the new ball, then he’s been looked at as the third seamer. To maximise that option and his six-hitting ability, the way he played for CSK, even for India he’s performed well. I feel the team management is looking to give him a lot more exposure,” he concluded.
With two wins from two games, India now leads the Group A points table and have advanced to the Super Four stage. The top two teams from Group A and Group B will compete in the Super Four round, aiming for a spot in the final. India will face Oman in their last group stage match on Friday, September 19, at the Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi.
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