"Not a bowling combination I would be convinced with" - Spin legend's huge statement after IND vs UAE Asia Cup 2025 match

Spin legend Ravichandran Ashwin was not convinced with India's bowling combination for the Asia Cup 2025 match against UAE in Dubai on Wednesday, September 10. According to Ashwin, India cannot afford to leave out a high-quality bowler like Arshdeep Singh and expect Shivam Dube to do the job with the ball against top sides, especially in a big tournament like the T20 World Cup.

India dropped left-arm pacer Arshdeep from the playing XI for the match against UAE. The Men in Blue went with Jasprit Bumrah as the main pace bowler, with Hardik Pandya opening the bowling with him. They also picked three spinners in Axar Patel, Varun Chakaravarthy and Kuldeep Yadav, with Dube performing the role of the extra pacer.

India thumped UAE by nine wickets in the Asia Cup 2025 match in Dubai. Kuldeep claimed four wickets and Dube three. However, speaking on 'Ash ki Baat', Ashwin opined that the Men in Blue cannot go into the 2026 T20 World Cup with such a bowling combination. He commented:

"It's surprising that Arshdeep has been dropped, but it's not a new thing. Has been happening since Gautam Gambhir started coaching. Arshdeep did not play the entire Champions Trophy as well. It has been a bit of a theme. Maybe considering Dubai conditions, they are preferring spinners. When Gambhir won the title for KKR, he was also going all-out on spin.

"This is the theme that we could see until the T20 World Cup. But I doubt this combination can work against a good team. It's quite risky. Arshdeep is a big performer. He was phenomenal in the World Cup against South Africa. To keep a man like that out for a very long time is going to be hard. I know Shivam Dube took a few wickets, but this is not a bowling combination I would be convinced with," the 38-year-old added.

Speaking of the India vs UAE game, the Men in Blue bowled first after winning the toss and knocked over the hosts for 57 in 13.1 overs. India then chased down the target in just 4.3 overs.

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"Arshdeep is high quality and you have to play him" - Ashwin on India's best bowling combination in T20Is

Stressing further on why he feels Arshdeep is a must in the Indian T20I bowling line-up, Ashwin explained that one of Kuldeep, Bumrah and Chakaravarthy is bound to have a bad day in the T20 World Cup. He elaborated:

"The rest of the bowlers will be targeted, so you need a good bowler to get through those overs. The World Cup looks a bit far away now. But you never know, if you can't fix these combinations... Arshdeep is high quality and you have to play him."

India's next match in Asia Cup 2025 will be against arch-rivals Pakistan in Dubai on Sunday, September 14. The Men in Blue will then face Oman in their last group match on September 19.