Team India is playing another white-ball game Down Under, and for the third time in this ongoing series, there are no signs of their highest wicket-taker in T20Is, Arshdeep Singh, in the playing XI. Although his absence from the recently concluded three-match ODI series is understandable, given he is not among the first-team picks in that format, the head coach and captain benching him for the first T20I in Canberra irked the fans, who took to social media to bash Gautam Gambhir for his ‘biased selection’.
India is playing two seamers in the series opener, ace quick Jasprit Bumrah, who returns to the side, and Harshit Rana.
at the Manuka Oval. Upon announcing the team for the first of the five games, the Indian Cricket Fans were left shocked over Arshdeep’s omission.
Although he hasn’t been part of Team India’s T20I setup lately, having been benched in most games in the Asia Cup this year, his credentials are too good not to consider him for selection.
With 101 wickets in 65 contested matches, Arshdeep Singh leads the wickets tally for India in the shortest format, with Hardik Pandya, the second-highest wicket-taker in T20Is, also absent from the scene. Jasprit Bumrah, the ace quick, sits in the third place with 96 wickets and counting and the out-of-favour leggie Yuzvendra Chahal, who also has as many wickets (96) to his name, was not even considered for selection.
Here is Team India’s playing XI for their series opener against Australia –
Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav (captain), Tilak Varma, Sanju Samson(w), Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Harshit Rana, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakaravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah
Here are some of the social media reactions to Arshdeep’s omission from the playing XI –