• Source:JND
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Today Match Time: Indian veteran spinner Ravichandran Ashwin stated that India should persist with pacer Arshdeep Singh in the playing XI for the titular clash between India and Pakistan on Sunday, September 28. Arshdeep did not start well, but later on bowled an excellent 19th over as well as a crucial Super Over against Sri Lanka on Friday.

Ashwin believed that India should play Arshdeep at number 8, stating that a batter at that number should not be expected to contribute much with the bat when it comes to the T20 format.

Ashwin also insisted that players like Arshdeep, Varun Chakravarthy, and talismanic JaspritBumrah should be given more batting practice ahead of the upcoming T20 World Cup.

Also Read: IND vs PAK, Asia Cup final pitch report

“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.

The former Indian cricketer also called for bowlers needing situation-based practice for this particular format.

“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.

Also Read: IND vs PAK, Asia Cup Final Live Cricket Score 

In the ongoing Asia Cup, Arshdeep has only been able to feature in two matches so far. 

India Squad: Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav(c), Tilak Varma, Sanju Samson(w), Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Harshit Rana, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy, JaspritBumrah, Jitesh Sharma, Rinku Singh, Shivam Dube

Pakistan Squad: Sahibzada Farhan, Fakhar Zaman, SaimAyub, Salman Agha(c), Hussain Talat, Mohammad Haris(w), Mohammad Nawaz, Faheem Ashraf, Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf, Abrar Ahmed, Hasan Ali, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Salman Mirza, Hasan Nawaz, Sufiyan Muqeem