RP Singh picks Arshdeep alongside Bumrah as India's death-bowling duo for T20 World Cup

New Delhi [India], May 31 : Former India pacer RP Singh backed Arshdeep Singh ahead of Mohammed Siraj in death overs because of the variation that the left-arm pacer brings to the team.
Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep and Siraj have emerged as the mainstays of India's pace bowling setup in the upcoming T20 World Cup which will kick off on June 1 in the USA and the West Indies.
The combination of India's playing XI is still up for speculation but the pace attack would revolve around these three quicks.
Talking about the role of each player, RP Singh backed Bumrah and Arshdeep as the two pacers to lead the attack in death overs. He believes Siraj could make more impact for the team with the new ball in hand.
"Death bowling is important in the T20 format. I feel Jasprit Bumrah is already with us then Arshdeep Singh is also crucial for death bowling. My first priority is Ashdeep. Arshdeep has a variation in his bowling and it will be great for death overs. After that Siraj comes in third number. I feel Siraj has more impact with the new ball," RP Singh told the media during the jersey launch of the World Championship of Legends team India Champions.
Arshdeep featured for Punjab Kings in the recently concluded Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024. With his left-arm variation, he picked up 19 wickets in 14 matches at an economy of 10.03 and a bowling average of 26.57.
Jasprit Bumrah stood out in Mumbai Indians' woeful season with his art with the ball in the opening and death overs. He was the third leading wicket-taker in the tournament with 20 scalps to his name in 13 matches at an economy of 6.48 and a bowling average of 16.80.
India has missed the presence of a left-arm pacer in their setup since Zaheer Khan decided to hang his boots in 2017.
RP Singh believes that in coming years, there could be a possibility when India's bowling line-up having several left-arm seamers.
"Everyone has specific roles. One thing Rohit (Sharma) does is make an explosive start, he always does it. I don't think there is a shortage of left-arm pacers in the teams. It's about the team's combination. We also have other left-arm pace bowlers who can swing. It's possible that in a few years, we may get to see our left arm permanently," RP Singh added.
India will start their T20 World Cup campaign on June 5 against Ireland at the newly constructed Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York.
India squad: Rohit Sharma (c), Hardik Pandya (vc), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant (wk), Sanju Samson (wk), Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj
Reserves: Shubman Gill, Rinku Singh, Khaleel Ahmed and Avesh Khan.