'Please, play him!': R Ashwin slams Team India over Arshdeep Singh's exclusion

Ravichandran Ashwin has criticised India's team management for excluding Arshdeep Singh from the playing XI against Australia. Ashwin argued that if experimentation was the goal, Jasprit Bumrah should have been rested instead of Arshdeep, India's leading T20I wicket-taker. He emphasised Arshdeep's consistent performance and asserted his right to a regular spot in the team.

Arshdeep Singh (Getty Images)

Former India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has strongly criticised the team management for leaving out Arshdeep Singh from the playing XI in India’s second T20I against Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on Friday.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW! India endured a tough outing as they were bundled out for 125 in 18.4 overs, with Josh Hazlewood taking three wickets. Australia chased down the target with ease, winning by four wickets in just 13.2 overs.

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Speaking on his YouTube channel after the match, Ashwin questioned the selection call, saying that if the management wanted to experiment, it should have been Jasprit Bumrah — not Arshdeep — who was rested. “If you want to experiment, then rest Bumrah. Bumrah is the one with workload management issues. You can rest Bumrah,” Ashwin said. “See, Arshdeep Singh is your leading wicket-taker. When we will play the T20 World Cup, there will be some dew… But this Arshdeep debate is definitely something that’s very sad because Arshdeep Singh deserves his place.”

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Ashwin went on to underline that Arshdeep should be one of the first names on India’s team sheet in the shortest format. “My point is, Arshdeep Singh’s name should be the second name on your fast bowlers’ list when Bumrah is playing. And if Bumrah isn’t playing, then Arshdeep becomes your first-choice bowler on that team list. I just cannot understand how Arshdeep Singh keeps missing out from the XI in this side. I really don’t get it,” he added. The veteran spinner also acknowledged that Harshit Rana, who featured in the match, did “reasonably well,” but stressed that Arshdeep’s omission reflected a deeper issue of player rotation and opportunity. “It’s not about Harshit. The way Arshdeep performed in the 2024 T20 World Cup, and yet since then, he has consistently found ways to stay out of the team. He’s been benched so many times when he should have been playing,” Ashwin said. Arshdeep, India’s leading T20I wicket-taker with 101 wickets in 65 matches, last featured in the 2025 Asia Cup, where Ashwin felt he looked “rusty” due to limited match time. “He actually lost a bit of rhythm… he looked rusty. And your champion bowler will start looking rusty if you don’t give him game time,” Ashwin noted. “I genuinely hope he starts getting the chances he deserves, man. He deserves to be there. And it’s not about someone else, that’s his spot. Please, play him.”

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