Former India player turned veteran commentator Aakash Chopra has opined that Arshdeep Singh and Harshit Rana are unlikely to play another game in the ongoing Asia Cup 2025. He also added that the two pacers looked rusty in India’s final Group A game against Oman, and Jasprit Bumrah and Varun Chakaravarthy will return to the playing XI for the rest of the tournament.

While talking about India’s bowling in a video shared on his YouTube channel, ‘Aakash Chopra,’ he said, “The way Arshdeep and Harshit bowled, they didn’t give enough confidence. They didn’t make you feel at all that the pitch was difficult to bat. You came to know that both are rusty. Arshdeep Singh was on the verge of 100 wickets and it seemed like a wicket would fall when he would bowl with the new ball. However, when you haven’t played cricket for such a long time, it becomes a little difficult.”

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“Harshit Rana’s lengths didn’t look that penetrative, and eventually you say that they might not get a chance to play again. Jasprit Bumrah will play on Sunday and after that as well, and Varun Chakaravarthy will return. India will go back to the three-spinner theory as the games after this are in Dubai,” he further added.

While talking about India’s playing XI in the same video, Aakash Chopra said that while Arshdeep Singh expectedly replaced Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya could have made way for Harshit Rana as well.

“India rested two players. They asked Varun Chakaravarthy and Jasprit Bumrah to rest, and they played Harshit Rana and Arshdeep Singh. What was the thought process? One, it was the Abu Dhabi ground, where there is slightly more help for pace bowling. I thought they could have rested Hardik, and Harshit could have been played in his place,” he said.

“Then you could have played Varun Chakaravarthy as well because he is brilliant, but he hasn’t looked that spirited in this tournament. So I felt he could have been played one more match. Probably India felt getting Hardik to bat was more important, and that’s why he was sent to bat at No. 4 as well. He was unfortunate to get run out at the non-striker’s end, but you can still understand India’s thought process,” Aakash Chopra concluded.