IND vs PAK: R Ashwin names one player that India must not drop in Asia Cup final against Pakistan

The 26-year-old Arshdeep, who appeared in only his second game of the tournament, bowled a sensational Super Over after the game ended in a tie after 40 overs. Conceding only two runs, the Punjab seamer was able to eke out two wickets before India gunned down the target with a solitary delivery. Earlier in the tournament, Arshdeep also became the fastest pace bowler and the first Indian to reach 100 wickets in only 64 matches. However, with India going spin-heavy and operating with Jasprt Bumrah and Hardik Pandya as the front-line pacers, Arshdeep has found it tough to have a consistent look-in into the XI.

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Stressing on Arshdeep’s inclusion, Ashwin also said that India needed to take care of the batting stocks of the tail-end batters ahead of the next T20 World Cup in five months.

“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. 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 on his YouTube channel ‘Ash ki Baat’.

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With India fretting over Hardik’s availability for the high-stakes final following a thigh injury while on the field in the previous game, Ashwin said it was a no-brainer to mark Arshdeep to remain in the side in the all-rounder’s absence.

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“The way Arshdeep bowled, he proved again why we keep saying on this channel that Arshdeep is needed. Once more, he proved it. So, in many ways, if Hardik doesn’t play, India will have to play Arshdeep. So, for India, Hardik is necessary, but this is one of those situations where it could also be good, because Arshdeep will get played and can again show why he’s that important bowler for India,” he said.

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