IND vs PAK 2022: “He is not a wicket-taking option with the new ball” - Aakash Chopra on young left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh

Former Indian batter Aakash Chopra has stated that while Arshdeep Singh is a talented pacer, he is still a work in progress. According to him, the left-armer doesn’t possess the experience and skills to be a wicket-taking option as of now.

Arshdeep has claimed four scalps in three matches in the ongoing Asia Cup at an average of 26. He registered figures of one for 27 from 3.5 overs in the Super 4 clash against Pakistan on Sunday, September 4.

Team India failed to defend a total of 181 against their arch-rivals in Dubai, going down by five wickets. Following the defeat, India’s bowling attack has come under the scanner.

Sharing his thoughts on his YouTube channel, Chopra stated that Arshdeep is too raw to deliver match-winning performances. He commented:

“Arshdeep Singh is a work in progress. He is very promising and can bowl some good yorkers, but he is not a finished product yet. He is not a wicket-taking option with the new ball.

"He can pick wickets and can be economical with the old ball. We haven’t seen him claim too many wickets anywhere. He doesn’t have that extra pace to get wickets in the middle overs.”

The 44-year-old added that Deepak Chahar (named as a standby in India’s Asia Cup squad) could be an option worth considering in upcoming T20 matches. Admitting that Chahar and Bhuvneshwar Kumar playing together would not be ideal, he explained:

“Deepak Chahar is an option, but he is a very similar bowler to Bhuvneshwar. Having said that, if Harshal Patel is not fit, he is also an option. Chahar and Bhuvi can bowl five overs in the powerplay. Jasprit Bumrah can bowl one and his three overs can be held for the death. That is a different route that can be explored.”

Both Bumrah and Harshal are missing from India's Asia Cup squad due to fitness issues. While the former has suffered a back injury, the latter is out of action due to a side strain.

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“Avesh Khan is not looking like a wicket-taking option” - Aakash Chopra on India's bowling issues

While discussing about India’s other pace-bowling options, Chopra claimed that Avesh Khan cannot be considered a wicket-taking option as of yet. He elaborated:

“Among others, Avesh Khan is not looking like a wicket-taking option for now. Can’t think of too many other names. Prasidh Krishna is injured. Shardul Thakur is a wicket-taking option, but only in the middle-overs. He neither bowls at the death or the start.”

Thakur recently replaced the injured Krishna in the India A squad for the series against New Zealand A. The all-rounder has not played a T20I for India since the white-ball series against West Indies at home in February.