Former KKR star’s frank comment on fast bowler

Former Indian national cricket team and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) batsman Aakash Chopra has made a bold comment on the place of star left-arm fast bowler Arshdeep Singh in the team.

Aakash Chopra said that an extremely talented fast bowler like Arshdeep Singh should not be kept on the bench by the Indian team management and should be allowed to play regularly for the team.

Arshdeep Singh got player of the match in Hobart

The left-arm fast bowler made a comeback into the India T20I playing XI in the third match of the series against the Australia national cricket team at Bellerive Oval, Hobart.

On his return, Arshdeep Singh performed brilliantly and sent a clear message to the Gautam Gambhir-led team management that he should be among the first few names in the Indian T20I playing XI.

In the very first over, he took the big wicket of dangerous opener Travis Head and in his second over, he clean bowled star wicketkeeper-batsman Josh Inglis.

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

Notably, Arshdeep missed the playing XI in the first two T20Is despite being India’s leading wicket-taker in this format, and Harshit Rana was selected as Jasprit Bumrah’s partner.

So what happened suddenly that we cannot play Bumrah and Arshdeep together? -Aakash Chopra

While talking on his official YouTube channel, Aakash Chopra said that Arshdeep Singh has proved that he is an essential player in the playing eleven and he should be paired with Jasprit Bumrah in future also. He said:

“Arshdeep Singh, play him and take wickets. We are talking about it. Now you have played him and he has taken wickets too. In fact, ‘Player of the Match’ performances. That’s what Arshdeep brings to the table, and again, the big question is why haven’t you played him for so long?”

“Even after going to Australia, you are not playing him and are sticking to your old plans. It is not that you were not always playing the batsman at No. 8. When you won the T20 World Cup in 2024, Jadeja was at No. 8. Bumrah and Arshdeep used to play there. So what happened suddenly that we cannot play Bumrah and Arshdeep together?”

It was a big reminder that you should not sit out a bowler like Arshdeep Singh – Aakash Chopra

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

He said, “It was a big reminder that you should not keep a bowler like Arshdeep Singh out, and certainly not for long. If the conditions are even slightly favorable for fast bowling, you should definitely play him. Even if they are not, but there is a possibility of dew, definitely play him.”

“In T20 matches, I think you need fast bowlers to bowl four overs each at the top and the tail. So you need eight overs of proper fast bowling. That means Bumrah and Arshdeep should play together in all conditions. The pitches throughout the World Cup were spin-friendly, but Arshdeep still played and was India’s leading wicket-taker,” Chopra said.

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