Arshdeep Singh Getting Dropped Despite Being India’s Highest Wicket Taker in T20Is Enrages Fans on Social Media

Along with Arshdeep Singh, Jitesh Sharma, Rinku Singh, and Harshit Rana were the other players who were not included in India's Asia Cup opener.

Arshdeep Singh Getting Dropped Despite Being India’s Highest Wicket Taker in T20Is Enrages Fans on Social Media

Arshdeep Singh was surprisingly dropped from India's playing XI for the 2025 Asia Cup opener against UAE. (via India Today)

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T20I star Arshdeep Singh’s exclusion from India’s playing XI for the 2025 Asia Cup opener against hosts United Arab Emirates left fans enraged, also sparking significant backlash against head coach Gautam Gambhir. Arshdeep was left out of the XI, which included three front-line spinners. 

Left-arm medium pacer Arshdeep Singh has seen a meteoric rise in his career over the past few years, since making his international debut in 2022. The 26-year-old Punjab pacer has featured in 63 T20Is, and is India’s front-line fast bowler. Over the past three years, Singh has also become the country’s all-time leading wicket-taker in T20Is, with a total of 99 wickets at a remarkable average of 18.30.

Singh even surpassed players like Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah, and Bhuvneshwar Kumar to claim the top spot, despite having played significantly fewer matches. 2024 was a year to remember for Singh, having been an integral part of the Indian squad that won the T20 World Cup.

He finished as the joint-highest wicket-taker in the tournament, and his impressive performance under pressure in the final against South Africa earned him the title of the 2024 ICC T20I Player of the Year.

In spite of the remarkable performances, Singh did not get a nod for a spot in the playing XI, against UAE at the Dubai International Stadium. The Indian team management instead picked a single specialist fast bowler in the form of Jasprit Bumrah, alongside all-rounders Shivam Dube and Hardik Pandya as the other pace options. India also picked three spinners; Varun Chakravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel. 

Not just fans, but former Indian cricketers also reacted to Arshdeep Singh’s surprise exclusion. Aakash Chopra claimed that the Indian team management has failed to come out of the Champions Trophy ‘hangover’.

While the Men in Blue won the 2025 CT in Dubai in February, Chopra noted that the same bowling strategy was being used in the Asia Cup, despite the pitch being less dry than it was earlier. He stated while speaking on ESPNCricinfo:

Is that actually the way India are going to plan? You have to pick your best team. Arshdeep Singh has got more wickets, better numbers than Jasprit Bumrah in T20s for India.

Meanwhile, India’s Asia Cup opener against UAE also saw Shubman Gill return to the T20I side after a year-long absence. Sanju Samson, whose place in the playing XI was also under threat following Gill’s return, was selected against the UAE to bat at number five and serve as the sole wicket-keeper.

Fans Outraged at Indian Team Management’s Decision to Exclude Arshdeep Singh Out of Asia Cup Opener 

Indian cricket fans were left enraged, after the team management decided to exclude ace pacer Arshdeep Singh from the playing XI of the 2025 Asia Cup opener against UAE, despite the bowler being fit and available for selection. This move has sparked a wave of strong reactions on social media.

Arshdeep Singh exclusion fans react
Arshdeep Singh’s exclusion from the playing XI against UAE left fans enraged. (via Aaj Tak)

Many fans pointed to the 26-year-old’s T20I record, arguing that it should have made him an automatic choice for all of India’s matches in the tournament. One fan claimed that head coach Gautam Gambhir must have left out Singh to ensure batting depth. Others claimed that the Punjab pacer was being unfairly targeted and that the Asia Cup opener could have been his chance to take his 100th T20I wicket.

Some fans also pointed to the pattern of inconsistency in team selections, noting that Arshdeep Singh has frequently been dropped despite being one of the team’s top performers. The left-armer, since the start of the 2024, has been in and out of the side. Despite being included in the 2025 Champions Trophy and Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy squads, Singh did not get a single opportunity to play in either series.

Nonetheless, India did win the Asia Cup opener against UAE, which in fact created a record by becoming the Men in Blues’ fastest finish to a T20I game. The defending champions secured a comfortable nine-wicket victory, successfully chasing down the modest total of 58 runs set by the UAE.

Also Read: Asia Cup 2025: What is Ticket Price for Coveted India-Pakistan Game in Dubai?