Arshdeep Singh has had to laugh off an awkward ranking after leaving R Ashwin at the bottom of his list of top five bowlers, promising to send the spinner an apology.
Appearing on a YouTube channel hosted by Krishnank Atrey, the left-arm seamer put Bhuvneshwar Kumar first, followed by Mohammed Shami, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal and Ashwin.
Reasons behind the order
Arshdeep admitted some bias in picking Bhuvneshwar, calling him a personal favourite. Shami came next because, in his view, the veteran can move the ball off the seam on any surface and presents it beautifully. He singled out Kuldeep for the rarity of left-arm wrist-spin and Chahal for a remarkable wicket-taking record, noting that he had shared a dressing room with Chahal at Punjab Kings.
An apology for Ashwin
Ashwin’s place at number five clearly bothered him. Arshdeep said he did not want to rate the spinner last, but no spots were left. He described Ashwin as a great bowler and as his first captain in the IPL at Punjab, and joked that he would message him personally.
The remark was picked up quickly by supporters, who noted the bond the two built during their time together in the league.
His all-time India XI
Arshdeep also chose an all-format India side. Sachin Tendulkar and Gautam Gambhir open, with Rahul Dravid, Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh and Rohit Sharma in the middle order and MS Dhoni keeping wicket. The bowling line-up is made up of Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Jasprit Bumrah and Arshdeep himself.
