‘He Must Play’: Ashwin Backs 26-Year-Old For India’s XI For Asia Cup Final | Cricket News

Ace spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has said that even if someone wakes him up from deep sleep, he would reiterate that Arshdeep Singh must be a part of India’s playing XI in the Asia Cup final against Pakistan on Sunday, September 28. The latter bowled a crucial Super Over against Sri Lanka on Friday.

While India have prioritised batting depth, Ashwin believes Arshdeep should be in the team, noting that a No. 8 batter is not expected to contribute much with the bat.

Ashwin added that the batting coach should focus on training cricketers like Arshdeep, Varun Chakravarthy and star pacer Jasprit Bumrah ahead of the upcoming T20 World Cup.

“I’ll say this even with my glasses on! Even if you wake me up from deep sleep, my answer won’t change: Arshdeep must play. How many runs will the number 8 batsman make? Not too many and you don’t need that many,” Ashwin said while speaking on his YouTube channel.

“And for the World Cup in six months, work on Arshdeep’s batting, work on Varun Chakravarthy’s batting, Bumrah can already hit a bit, decent bat swing. The batting coach needs to give more time to these guys,” Ashwin said.

Expanding on this, the former Indian cricketer emphasised that bowlers need situation-based practice for T20s.

“Batting practice needs to be situational in T20, typically, an 8th batter might only get 4-6 balls if it isn’t a bad day. The goal is to maximise those deliveries and Arshdeep has that long handle,” Ashwin said.

“But when the moment comes, say you need 15 in 10 balls, how to rotate strike, which bowler to target for boundaries? They need to talk about these things. It’s not just about net batting; it’s about practical planning against specific bowlers,” Ashwin added.