Raina Advocates for Arshdeep in Border-Gavaskar Squad

Former Indian cricketer Suresh Raina has voiced his opinion regarding the exclusion of Arshdeep Singh from India’s squad for the 2024-2025 Border-Gavaskar Trophy series against Australia. Raina believes that Arshdeep Singh should have been included in the Test lineup, asserting that the young pacer possesses qualities similar to some of India’s legendary left-arm seamers such as Zaheer Khan, Ashish Nehra, and RP Singh.

Raina has praised Arshdeep for his remarkable ability to swing and reverse swing the ball, skills that are highly valued in Test cricket. He expressed his disappointment in Arshdeep’s omission, particularly given Arshdeep’s wish to participate in all cricket formats, a desire he reportedly discussed with fellow pacer Jasprit Bumrah.

Despite his achievements in T20I cricket, where he has amassed 95 wickets in just 60 matches, becoming India’s most successful fast bowler in this format, Arshdeep was not chosen for the ongoing Test series. Instead of Arshdeep, Harshit Rana and Nitish Kumar Reddy were given the opportunity to make their Test debuts in the series.

Arshdeep’s influence in T20I cricket is indisputable. He was a standout performer during the T20 World Cup 2024, sharing the title of joint-highest wicket-taker with Afghanistan’s Fazalhaq Farooqi by claiming 17 wickets. Moreover, his value is recognized in the Indian Premier League (IPL), where he was retained for Rs 18 crore by Punjab Kings in the 2025 mega auction.

The Border-Gavaskar Trophy series itself is finely poised, with the series level at 1-1 after two matches. The third Test witnessed a rain-affected start, where play was called off after just 13.2 overs.

In conclusion, Raina’s comments bring significant attention to the selection strategies for key series and highlight the ongoing debate about team composition and the merits of players based on their performance potential across different cricketing formats. Whether Arshdeep will make his mark in Test cricket remains to be seen, but his skills suggest he could be a valuable asset for India in the longest format of the game.