R Ashwin Questions Gautam Gambhir's Decision To Exclude India Pacer Arshdeep Singh From T20Is Against Australia: 'I Don’t Really Get It'

India vs Australia: Suryakumar Yadav-led Team India suffered a four-wicket loss against Mitchell Marsh's Australia in the second T20I match of the five-game series, at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, on Friday, October 31.

Josh Hazlewood was named the 'Player of the Match' following his three-wicket haul from a four-over spell, conceding 13 runs at an economy rate of 3.20.

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With the win, Australia took a 1-0 lead in the series, with three matches yet to play. The first match of the T20I series was abandoned after rain played a spoilsport.

R Ashwin Questions Team India's Decision To Omit Arshdeep From Playing XI In Melbourne

After the defeat in Melbourne, head coach Gautam Gambhir's decision to exclude star pacer Arshdeep Singh from the Playing XI against Australia raised plenty of questions.

While speaking on his official YouTube channel, Ravichandran Ashwin slammed Gautam Gambhir for omitting Arshdeep from the Playing XI, saying that his name should be second after Bumrah in the fast bowler list.

Ashwin pointed out that Arshdeep Singh always displayed a consistent performance in the T20Is. He further added that Arshdeep Singh lost his rhythm because he had been benched plenty of times.

“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 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,” R Ashwin said while speaking on his official YouTube channel.

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Arshdeep Singh's Illustrious Numbers In T20Is

Interestingly, Arshdeep Singh is India's highest wicket-taker in the T20Is with 101 scalps from 65 matches at an economy rate of 8.37 and a bowling average of 18.76.

In the T20s, Arshdeep Singh has played 175 matches and taken 230 wickets at an economy rate of 8.52 and an average of 22.70.

India will play against Australia in the third T20I match of the series on Sunday, November 2, at the Bellerive Oval in Hobart.