Follow UsRavichandran Ashwin, former India spinner, went all guns blazing against Harshit Rana for not knowing what to bowl during the death overs against Sri Lanka in the last Super Four match of Asia Cup 2025 on September 26 at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium (DICS) in the UAE.
Lambasting Rana Ashwin, according to Hindustan Times, said, “The mistakes made by Harshit against Sri Lanka were really amateurish.” He did so while speaking on his YouTube channel Ash Ki Baat.
"Harshit was cranking up the speed. He hit him on the head, and then he followed it up with a slower ball. Nissanka played it beautifully. Harshit was just bowling slower balls after delivering a fast-paced delivery. One fast, one slow. That is a really amateurish way of playing cricket. He should really learn from this," added the ace spinner.
The 39-year-old also said that playing Arshdeep Singh in India’s playing 11 is mandatory, no matter what the conditions are. He asserted that it now became imperative to have him, especially after his match-winning super over against Sri Lanka.
"Even before the start of the Asia Cup, I was saying that Arshdeep Singh is mandatory in the playing XI. He once again proved my point. What a terrific finish to the game, the way with which he bowled the Super Over, he reiterated why he's mandatory. Akashdeep Singh has once again given a great account of himself," said Ashwin.
"He showed why he is one of India's premier bowlers. When Jasprit Bumrah is there in the side, people won't talk much about Arshdeep, but I would stick my neck out and say he is India's premier bowler in this format," he added.
It would be interesting to see how India will form their playing 11 against Pakistan for the final. Whether Arshdeep would find a place in the side or not is yet to be confirmed.