World Cup 2023: Bharat Arun, a former bowling coach for the Indian national team, has asked a question that has caused a stir in the cricketing community. What’s his question? It came as a shock when potential “left-arm pacer” Arshdeep Singh was left off of the first 15-man World Cup team.
Arshdeep Singh, a promising young player who just recently broke through on the international stage, has had a tumultuous year with the Indian national team. He had moments of brilliance but sometimes struggled through obscurity. He has recently shown his mettle on the international scene by playing for the Indian side on their white-ball tours of the West Indies and Ireland. The Asia Cup team and the provisional World Cup roster did not include him, though.
Arun, well-known for his keen insight into fast bowling, praised Arshdeep’s abilities and wondered aloud why he hadn’t been included. “We were constantly looking for left-handed quick bowlers,” he said. “Arshdeep’s potential was obvious, and he had all the makings of a superstar. I don’t see why he wasn’t included,” he added.
Arshdeep’s strength is in his ability to swing the ball late and deliver precision yorkers, both of which give batters nightmares. He is the prototypical exciting young fast bowler, capable of bowling stints that turn the tide of a match. Arun mused aloud, “He has the skills every team wants, and his performances left us in awe. Where is he, though?”
Arun didn’t hold back while discussing the tensions behind the scenes. In spite of the difficulties brought on by the COVID outbreak, he said that the aim was to send Arshdeep and other talented bowlers back to India. However, it was Ravi Shastri who put a stop to this. This choice opened the door for these players to get the playing time they needed to grow and flourish.
Arshdeep has played in three One-Day Internationals (ODIs) and an amazing 33 Twenty Twenty Internationals (T20Is) for India. The fact that he has taken 50 wickets in the shortest format speaks much about his influence as a game-changing bowler.
World Cup 2023: Bharat Arun Questions Arshdeep Singh’s Exclusion From India’s Squad
Meanwhile, the selectors have assembled a roster for the World Cup that has a healthy distribution of four all-rounders, four pacers, and seven star batsmen. Arun laments the team’s lack of depth since they don’t have a left-arm pace option like Arshdeep, who they might have used to great effect.
“We tried bringing in left-arm fast bowlers during our time. We always wanted one. Arshdeep was promised a lot and I don’t know why he isn’t there in the squad. To me, he looked very, very impressive. He is capable of bowling yorkers and the late half can move the ball. He is an exciting fast bowler and I wonder where he is now. These bowlers were supposed to come back to India during Covid time and it was Ravi who stopped the move. It gave us the option to make them play,” Arun said on ‘Cricket Basu’ YouTube channel.
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Arshdeep Singh’s absence is shrouded in mystery, and the story won’t go away. Many in the cricket community, including Arun’s old coaching colleagues, are baffled by this unexpected development. As the World Cup draws near, only time will tell whether Arshdeep’s absence was a mistake or part of a well-thought-out strategy.
