"It will be extremely unfortunate" - Irfan Pathan on the chances of Shivam Mavi making way for Arshdeep Singh

Irfan Pathan feels it will be extremely unfortunate if Shivam Mavi has to make way for Arshdeep Singh in the second T20I between India and Sri Lanka in Pune on Thursday, January 5.

Mavi was handed his T20I debut in the first game of the series in Mumbai on Tuesday, January 3, after Arshdeep failed to fully recover from his illness. The right-arm seamer returned figures of 4/22 in his four overs to help the Men in Blue register a two-run win while defending a 163-run target.

During a discussion on Star Sports, Pathan was asked about India's selection dilemma if Arshdeep is fit and available for the second T20I, to which he responded:

"It will be extremely unfortunate if Shivam Mavi has to sit out after such a performance if Arshdeep comes back, because what other options do you have?"

Pathan was unsure if either Umran Malik or Harshal Patel could instead make way for the left-arm seamer, who he feels is a certain pick in the XI once available for selection. The former Indian all-rounder reasoned:

"Will you want to make Umran Malik or Harshal Patel sit out because Arshdeep is bowling exceptionally well for the last one to one-and-a-half years? So he will come back in the team as soon as he gets fit."

Arshdeep has scalped 33 wickets in the 21 T20Is he has played. The Punjab Kings (PBKS) seamer not only provides the left-arm angle but also the ability to bowl effectively both in the powerplay overs and at the death.

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"There has to be a method to the madness" - Irfan Pathan says India cannot afford to lose wickets in clusters in 2nd T20I

India lost a flurry of wickets in the first T20I against Sri Lanka. [P/C: BCCI]

Pathan was also asked about his thoughts on the batting approach India should follow, to which he replied:

"There has to be a method to the madness. The method is that you don't lose your wickets in clusters. When you lose wickets in clusters, there are problems. Yes, you need to go with the aggressive approach but when you feel that you have lost two or three wickets, you need a partnership there."

The cricketer-turned-commentator concluded by saying that the Indian batters need to improve their shot selection, elaborating:

"So there is a scope for improvement there. If you lose wickets continuously with wrong shots, I feel you will not get to see the big score we talk about. So keeping that in mind, it is extremely important for the shot selection to be improved."

Hardik Pandya and Co. were reduced to 94/5 at one stage in the first T20I against Sri Lanka. Deepak Hooda and Axar Patel's unbroken 68-run sixth-wicket partnership bailed them out of trouble and helped them post a fighting total.