India national cricket team bowling coach Morne Morkel has finally broken his silence on leading left-arm fast bowler Arshdeep Singh being dropped from T20I matches despite his exceptional record.
Morne Morkel said that they are trying new things and different combinations ahead of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, and with only a limited number of matches ahead of the competition, they have been forced to take some tough decisions.
There will always be disappointments in terms of players and selection – Morne Morkel
Left arm fast bowler Arshdeep Singh is an unlucky man. He is the leading wicket-taker for India in T20I cricket and the only Indian to take 100 wickets in this format.
He has exceptional skills and his performances with the new ball and in the death overs have been sensational. The left arm fast bowler can bring success to his team at any time in the match and he bowls brilliantly in pressure situations.
Despite all this, he was kept on the bench in the main matches of the Asia Cup due to India’s spin-heavy tactics and was again overlooked for the first two T20Is against Australia despite offering pace-friendly conditions.
However, he finally got his chance in the third match, where he took figures of 3/35 and was awarded player of the match at Bellerive Oval, Hobart.
In a press conference ahead of the fourth T20I, Morkel spoke about Arshdeep Singh’s condition and said (as quoted by Indian Express):
“It’s not easy. There will always be disappointments in terms of players and selection, but as a player sometimes it’s something that’s out of control.”
“For us, on our end, we just keep telling them to work hard and work hard and be ready for the opportunity whenever it comes.”
There are now limited games before the T20 World Cup – Morne Morkel
Morne Morkel said that they are trying different combinations and match-ups so that India are all set to win the next T20 World Cup on home soil.
Morkel said, “There are limited games now before the T20 World Cup, so it is important for us to see how players can react under pressure in certain situations; otherwise, it will be unknown to us. So it is like playing those kind of games and then having the mentality to win the game of cricket.”
“You have to have options available. I think if you look around the world, every team is playing with options,” Morkel said.
Yes, we probably know one or two of the combinations we’ve set – Morne Morkel
Morne Morkel further said that they want to see how certain players perform in different conditions as they want to be prepared for all the challenges that lie ahead in the marquee tournament.
“Yes, we might know maybe one or two combinations that we set out, but I think in this game you need to be adaptable. You need to know where certain players can give you options in different roles. And if you’re not going to try those roles and see how they handle pressure in those situations, you’ll never know,” Morne Morkel said.
“And I think with the World Cup around the corner, you don’t want to leave any stone unturned. You don’t want to sit back for two years and say if we had tried, or given this combination a little more time, it would have developed. So yes, I think it’s about playing it smart,” Morkel concluded on the matter.
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