“I will keep him for variety regardless of who sits out”- Ravi Shastri backs Arshdeep Singh for T20I World Cup
Arshdeep Singh has been making headlines with his performances ever since his debut in T20Is. He is seen as a great prospect as a left-arm seam option for the Asia Cup and T20 World Cup. Former India head coach Ravi Shastri is mighty impressed with the youngster.
He has backed left-arm seamer Arshdeep Singh to play for India in the T20 World Cup. He feels that Punjab Kings' pacer will add variety to the attack and benefit from the bounce and angle he creates, which would be ideal for the Indian attack.
While speaking to FanCode, Shastri said:
“I will keep him for variety regardless of who sits out. I would pick three right-armers and one left-armer along with all-rounder Hardik Pandya. Jasprit [Bumrah] and Bhuvneshwar [Kumar] are certainties. I feel [Mohammed] Shami will also get the nod."
He added:
“In Australia, left-armers normally do a good job. There is bounce and the angle that he [Arshdeep Singh] creates. He will be an ideal foil when you look at the Indian attack.”
Arshdeep Singh ready for Asia Cup and T20 World Cup
Arshdeep Singh was brilliant in the Indian Premier League (IPL). He continued to impress the selectors with death bowling abilities before finally earning a call into Team India.
He made his T20I debut against England, where he scalped a couple of wickets. The youngster troubled the likes of world-class batters like Jason Roy and David Malan. He has not looked back since.
Arshdeep has already picked up seven wickets in four matches at an impressive economy rate of 6.26 in the ongoing T20I series against West Indies. He registered his best-ever figures in the 4th T20I against West Indies on August 6. He finished with 3/12 as Men in Blue secured victory by 59 runs and took 3-1 unassailable lead in the five-match series.
He will look to continue his exploits in the upcoming Asia Cup 2022. India will kick start their campaign against arch-rivals Pakistan in a high-voltage contest on August 28. Rohit Sharma and Co will be looking to avenge their one-sided loss against Pakistan in the last edition of the T20 World Cup.