Watch: R Ashwin Loses Cool During YouTube Show, Blasts Team India Over

Competition for places in the Indian team is severe, and there’s no one in the world who denies that. But, both fans and pundits lose their calm when deserving players are unnecessarily benched.

Ravichandran Ashwin, an Indian legend and now a pundit, went on an epic rant on social media upon seeing pacer Arshdeep Singh being made to warm the bench in the first and the second ODI against New Zealand. Though there are suggestions that Arshdeep might play the final match of the series, Ashwin thinks the left-arm pacer should be an untouchable figure in the pace bowling unit.

When the Indian team management was asked about the decision to bench Arshdeep, the response was that the likes of Harshit Rana and Prasidh Krishna needed match practice. But, Ashwin isn’t on board with the idea as he feels prolonged periods of warming the bench would make Arshdeep ‘rusty’.

“The contest is between the bowlers. For South Africa, you need a hit-the-deck bowler. Prasidh Krishna and Harshit Rana both need match experience, so I can understand the thinking. But no one is thinking about Arshdeep Singh, who will stand in his shoes and think? This is not about how much he has played and how much he hasn’t played,” Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.

“What must he be thinking right now? He has done so much, yet he is still fighting for his spot. Whenever he plays next, he will be rusty. No matter what you say, this is a game of confidence. Why does this happen to the bowlers at all times? It never happens with the batters,” he added.