IND vs AUS 2022: "You certainly can think of playing both Arshdeep Singh and Harshal Patel in the playing XI" - Ajay Jadeja on India fielding multiple death-over specialists in the future

Former India international Ajay Jadeja has explored the possibility of Team India selecting both Harshal Patel and Arshdeep Singh in the playing XI.

Jasprit Bumrah's absence has been sorely felt as death bowling has been a huge concern for India over the last few T20I matches.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar is far from the ideal candidate. His figures of 0-52 in the first T20I against Australia were his most expensive ever in national colors.

He has given away 49 runs while bowling the penultimate over in his last three T20I matches, barring the contest against Afghanistan at the Asia Cup.

Indians conceding 40+ runs in most T20Is of an year:

5 times - Harshal Patel in 2022
4 times - Avesh Khan in 2022
4 times - Bhuvneshwar Kumar in 2022
#INDvAUS

Harshal Patel looked rusty upon his return from injury and returned figures of 0-48 after being taken apart by Matthew Wade in particular. It is to be noted that Arshdeep Singh is not part of the squad for the three-match T20I series against Australia.

Opining that Bhuvneshwar Kumar will have to be dropped if both Arshdeep Singh and Harshal Patel feature in the playing XI, Ajay Jadeja said on Cricbuzz:

"My worry is that the captain was so worried that he had to change the plans, so early in the innings. You ceratainly can think of playing both Arshdeep and Harshal Patel in the playing XI."

Jadeja continued:

"Harshal Patel is more and more effective when the ball is not coming onto the bat. Arshdeep bowls with the new ball as well. But in this scenario, you have to leave Bhuvi out, what other option is there."

The left-arm pacer has done a formidable job of bowling difficult overs since his national team debut earlier this year. India are likely to field three frontline seamers, with Hardik Pandya acting as the fourth option on Australia's hard and bouncy surfaces.

"Australia had an answer for every move that Rohit Sharma made" - Ajay Jadeja

Team India looked favorites at the half-way mark of the contest after posting 208-6 on the board. However, Aaron Finch made Australia's intentions clear with a first-ball six during the run chase and carried the momentum on a good batting surface.

Things went right down to the wire but it's Australia who won the first #INDvAUS T20I.

#TeamIndia will look to bounce back in the second T20I.

Scorecard 👉 bit.ly/INDvAUS-1STT20I https://t.co/PvxtKxhpav

The visitors didn't let the required rate get out of reach. With the help of boundaries at regular intervals, they managed to close out the game with four balls to spare.

Opining that there was not much that Rohit Sharma could do in terms of captaincy, Jadeja said:

"I feel for Rohit Sharma, because I feel everything he did was right. He tried to do whatever he knows what to do. But, Australia had an answer for every move that Rohit Sharma made."

Shedding light on Bhuvneshwar Kumar's poor outing, Jadeja added:

"Unless there is something in the wicket, this has always been the case with Bhuvneshwar Kumar. There was no help from the wicket for him."

Should India include both Harshal Patel and Arshdeep Singh in the playing XI going ahead? Let us know what you think.