“Why didn’t he play Vijay Hazare for Punjab?” – Saba Karim lashes out at Arshdeep Singh

Saba Karim has questioned Indian pacer Arshdeep Singh on why he didn’t represent Punjab during the month-long gap between his international appearances.

The former India selector feels that Arshdeep bowled five no-balls against Sri Lanka in the second T20I on Thursday due to a lack of match practice.

Arshdeep’s problem with no-balls forced captain Hardik Pandya to under-bowl him in the fixture. The left-arm pacer finished with figures of 0/37 in his two overs.

Speaking on India News, Karim said:

“Why is Arshdeep Singh not playing domestic cricket in between international matches? Why didn’t he play Vijay Hazare for Punjab?”

Former India all-rounder Reetinder Singh Sodhi, meanwhile, pointed out that legendary Sachin Tendulkar and ace pacer Javagal Srinath used to play domestic cricket during international cricket gaps.

“When Sachin Tendulkar and Javagal Srinath didn’t used to play for India, they represented Mumbai and Karnataka.”

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“You have to trust them” – Saba Karim on Arshdeep Singh

Karim believes that all youngsters, including Arshdeep Singh, should be given much time to groom. He reckons the players should get enough opportunities to learn and deliver on the international stage.

He said:

“We have to be patient. It takes time to build a team. It’s a young team with a lot of changes. The new players will make mistakes and that’s how they will learn. It will keep going up and down for the next few days. You have to trust them.”

The Indian bowling unit will look to deliver after proving costly in the second T20I. Shivam Mavi leaked 53 runs, while Arshdeep conceded 37. The duo ended wicketless. Speedster Umran Malik scalped three wickets but gave away 48 runs.

Meanwhile, Shubman Gill is expected to grab the opportunity after a flop show at the top-order in the first two games.

With the series tied 1-1, Hardik Pandya and Co. will have a job on their hands to deliver against the reigning Asia Cup champions in the series decider.

Rajkot’s pitch is expected to be batting-friendly because it’s one of the flattest tracks. Whichever team wins the toss would prefer to chase and secure a series victory.