R Ashwin Frustrated With Gautam Gambhir And Co's Team Selection, Singles Out Pacer: "Keeps Missing Out"

The Indian cricket team went down quite tamely against Australia in the second T20I in Melbourne on Friday. As the first T20I was washed out, India now trail the five-match series 1-0 with three matches remaining. They need to beat Australia on Sunday in the third T20I in Hobart to have any hope of winning the series. Former India star Ravichandran Ashwin was stunned by the team management's decision to omit Arshdeep Singh and play Harshit Rana.

Arshdeep Singh, with 101 scalps, is the highest Indian wicket-taker in T20Is.

"Arshdeep Singh's name should be the second name on your fast bowlers' list if Bumrah is playing. If Bumrah is not playing, Arshdeep becomes your first bowler on that team list. I just cannot understand how Arshdeep Singh keeps missing out from the XI in this side. I don't really get it. Of course, Harshit Rana had a decent day with the bat. He batted decently, but this is not about him at all. It's about Arshdeep Singh. The performance he put in during the T20 World Cup in 2024-after that, he has consistently found ways to stay out of the team. He has been benched so many times that he has lost a bit of rhythm," Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.

"We saw in the Asia Cup, he bowled well, he came back very well in the spell, but he looked rusty. Your champion bowler will look rusty if you don't play him. So it's a really tough situation if you are Arshdeep Singh, and I really hope he starts getting the place he deserves. He deserves to be there, and it's not about somebody else. He has a place in the team. Please play him."

Former India pacer Atul Wasan has termed India's batting collapse in the second T20I against Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground "a concern," saying that the World Cup-winning team showed traces of overconfidence and failed to play to its potential.

Australia took a 1-0 lead in the five-match series with a commanding four-wicket win, chasing down 126 with 40 balls to spare.

Reflecting on India's defeat, Wasan said T20 cricket leaves no room for recovery once momentum slips. "What to say about T20Is? If it goes wrong suddenly, you can't recover. Once a few overs or sessions go against you, the match is gone from your hands," he told IANS.

Topics mentioned in this article

Ravichandran Ashwin Gautam Gambhir Arshdeep Singh India Cricket Team Australia Cricket Team Australia vs India 2025 Cricket