Arshdeep Singh vs Mukesh Kumar - who should India pick in the playing XI for the 1st T20I vs Ireland?

Team India continue their parallel preparation for the 2024 T20 World Cup with their fringe players in the form of a three-match T20I series against Ireland. The 15-man squad led by Jasprit Bumrah is all set for the first T20I on Friday.

The biggest talking point of the series is bound to be Bumrah's return and his performances. With Prasidh Krishna also returning after a lengthy injury layoff, the spot for the third seamer is bound to come down to a standoff between Arshdeep Singh and Mukesh Kumar.

The pair have been playing together in the Caribbean, but the return of senior figures in the bowling attack means that potentially only one of them can play unless any radical approach is taken.

Arshdeep was at one point, a guaranteed starter in the T20I setup, having even played in the 2022 T20 World Cup. However, he has slid off since then and his death bowling, which brought him into the Indian squad in the first place, began to show cracks recently.

Mukesh, on the other hand, is largely considered a traditional red-ball bowler. But he has shown his abilities with the white ball in recent times, leading him to make his debut across all formats for India in the recently concluded tour of the West Indies.

With two genuine candidates to choose from as the potential third seamer in the playing XI, let us take a look at what they bring to the table and who should Team India select.

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Balance and variety

If the selection of Jasprit Bumrah and Prasidh Krishna is certain for the first T20I, Team India will have two right-arm pacers in the team. In that case, Arshdeep Singh seems like a tantalizing option to add a bit of variety to the attack, especially with Ireland fielding a left-arm seamer of their own in the form of Josh Little.

The presence of a left-arm seamer does make the bowling attack well-rounded and versatile as opposed to three right-arm pacers, not that it is a wrong approach. All of the bowlers in the squad are proficient new ball bowlers, and with cloud cover expected due to rain, there will be movement on offer. On that front, there is not much to separate between Mukesh Kumar and Arshdeep Singh.

Being a left-arm bowler, Arshdeep does hold an edge over his compatriot, primarily it expands the horizon of the bowling attack.

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Current form

As mentioned earlier, both bowlers were part of Team India's Caribbean tour and had varied numbers to show for their efforts.

Arshdeep Singh faltered with his death bowling at times, which is reflected in his series economy rate of 9.18. But that did not affect his innate wicket-taking ability. He took seven wickets in five matches at an average of 22.29.

Mukesh Kumar's exploits in his maiden T20I series for India proved that he is arguably not made for the shortest format if claiming wickets is the ultimate aim over the containment of runs. However, the right-arm pacer leaked runs as he ended with only three wickets at an economy rate of 8.81 and an average of 37.67.

As a result, if recent statistics are considered, it is Arshdeep once again, who holds the advantage over Mukesh.

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X-factor

Arshdeep Singh, being only 24 years old, is viewed as a long-term option for the team. He still has many bright years ahead of him and a small blip in form is not going to change that.

The left-arm pacer brings a lot of qualities to the table with his ability to ball in the powerplay as well as the death. He also has a knack for picking up wickets, which is a highly valued trait in the shortest format of the game.

While his death bowling may seem shaky at the moment with all the extras and yorkers being full tosses, he could perform better as a second-fiddle to the death bowling specialist, Jasprit Bumrah, rather than all of the responsibility being on him, like it was in the West Indies.

While Mukesh Kumar is also a good option at the start and end of an innings, his lack of wickets in T20s is concerning, a trend that has been on show since the 2023 IPL season.

On the whole, considering that Arshdeep is the future when compared to Mukesh's short-term strategy for India, as well as attributes, it makes sense for the left-arm seamer to mark his presence in the playing XI.

Who should be selected for the first T20I for Team India against Ireland - Arshdeep Singh or Mukesh Kumar? Let us know what you think.