Arshdeep Singh will be in India's XI even when Bumrah, Siraj return: Tamim Iqbal

IND vs PAK: Tamim Iqbal praised Arshdeep Singh for bowling his heart out and guiding India through to a seven-wicket win against Bangladesh in the Gwalior T20I on Sunday. Arshdeep picked up 3 wickets against Bangladesh.

In Short

• Arshdeep Singh had figures of 3.5-0-14-3 in the Gwalior T20I
• Arshdeep got the wickets of Litton Das, Parvez Hossain Emon and Mustafizur Rahman
• India beat Bangladesh by 7 wickets in Gwalior

Tamim Iqbal heaped praises on Arshdeep Singh, saying that the Indian pacer doesn’t get the accolades that he deserves. On Sunday, the 25-year-old Arshdeep won the Player of the Match award after India took a 1-0 lead in the T20I series against Bangladesh following their seven-wicket victory at the New Madhavrao Scindia Cricket Stadium in Gwalior.

Arshdeep finished with figures of 3.5-0-14-3 as India restricted the Tigers to 127 in 19.5 overs after opting to bowl first. The left-arm pacer dismissed Litton Das to open his account after which he picked up the wickets of Parvez Hossain Emon and Mustafizur Rahman.

Tamim praised Arshdeep for bowling his heart out in the final over where he gave away three runs and dismissed Mustafizur off his final ball. Tamim said that instead of going for fancy tactics, Arshdeep bowls within himself to keep the batters in check.

“The last over he bowled was unbelievable. People talk about overs bowled by others, but nobody talked about his over. His over was very crucial. And the best thing about him I liked is that he knows his limitations. He doesn’t go out of his limits and he knows what he can and can’t do,” Tamim told the broadcasters after the match.

IND vs BAN, 1st T20I: HIGHLIGHTS FROM GWALIOR

‘Arshdeep Singh is a frontline bowler’

Tamim, who is among Bangladesh’s leading run-scorers in international cricket, said that Arshdeep should retain his place in the Indian playing XI even after the likes of Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammad Siraj return.

“This isn’t about one match we are talking about as he has been doing it for a number of years for India and has been phenomenal. He is a frontline bowler. Whether or not Bumrah and Siraj come in, he will definitely be in the playing XI,” Tamim added.

In 55 T20Is thus far since his debut back in 2022, Arshdeep has taken 86 wickets with two four-wicket hauls. He is also fifth in the list of most wickets for India in Men’s T20Is after Yuzvendra Chahal, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Bumrah and Hardik Pandya.

Arshdeep will be looking to carry his form when India face Bangladesh in the second T20I on September 9 at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi.