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Arshdeep Singh has been sitting on the sidelines in Vadodara and Rajkot, but Ravichandran Ashwin has been a strong supporter of bringing the left-arm pacer into the mix. The former Indian spinner believes that the management hasn’t given Arshdeep a fair shot. Thankfully for both Arshdeep and Ashwin, the 26-year-old might get a chance to play in the upcoming India vs New Zealand 3rd ODI. 

The Indian management has been quite transparent about their selection strategy, focusing on the ODI World Cup 2027. Axar Patel, Hardik Pandya, and Jasprit Bumrah have been given a break, while Ravindra Jadeja and Mohammed Siraj are back in the fold, with Prasidh Krishna stepping up as the go-to bowler for the middle overs. 

As they experiment, captain Shubman Gill and head coach Gautam Gambhir are likely to shake things up a bit. You might think about dropping someone like Harshit Rana, who recently played in the Vijay Hazare Trophy and is also in line for the T20 World Cup 2026. His workload is something to consider, but do you really want to disrupt his momentum? 

In his last 10 competitive matches, Harshit has only gone wicketless once. It’s crucial for him to keep that confidence going into the T20I series and the World Cup. The same goes for Arshdeep Singh, who hasn’t played since January 6. 

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To bring Arshdeep into the squad, one of Siraj or Prasidh will have to make way. Siraj has been outstanding in the India vs New Zealand ODI series, maintaining an impressive economy of just 4.76 while bowling in both the powerplay and death overs. On the other hand, Prasidh has been a bit more expensive, conceding 6.05 runs per over, although he has taken 3 wickets compared to Siraj’s 2. 

If the team management opts to drop Siraj, they could keep Harshit as the second new-ball bowler and let Prasidh handle the middle overs. If they stick with Siraj, then Arshdeep would take the new ball, with Harshit stepping in for Prasidh. 

Now, Harshit has all the skills needed to shine during the middle overs. In fact, aside from Bumrah, he’s the only other Indian fast bowler who can handle all phases of the game. Plus, he’s the only Indian pacer with real batting talent. He’s practically a guaranteed pick alongside Bumrah, leaving the other three to battle it out for the last spot.