"That's why we've been saying again and again" - Former all-rounder's huge take on Arshdeep Singh's match-winning spell in AUS vs IND 2025 3rd T20I

Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan heaped praise on Arshdeep Singh for his impressive performance in the third T20I against Australia. The match was played on Sunday, November 2, at the Bellerive Oval in Hobart.

Opting to bowl first, Arshdeep started brilliantly for India, dismissing Travis Head (6) and Josh Inglis (1) cheaply. For the hosts, Tim David (74 off 38) and Marcus Stoinis (64 off 39) starred with impressive fifties as Australia posted 186/6 in 20 overs. Arshdeep finished as the pick of the bowlers, returning figures of 3/35 from his four overs.

In response, Washington Sundar top-scored with an unbeaten 49 off 23 balls, hitting three fours and four sixes as India chased down the target with five wickets in hand and nine balls remaining.

Following the match, Irfan Pathan shared a video on his YouTube channel, where he lauded Arshdeep for his performance and noted that this was exactly why everyone wanted the left-arm seamer in the playing XI. Pathan said:

“Arshdeep was played, and as soon as he was included, he showed why. He has taken 45 wickets in the powerplay so far. Since his debut, no one has taken more wickets with the new ball in the powerplay than Arshdeep. That’s why we’ve been saying again and again that Arshdeep’s inclusion is essential, he is a must. And once again, he showed why.” “Look, he dismissed Travis Head and Inglis. He took two big wickets in the powerplay and bowled brilliantly. Even at the end, when he had to bowl in the death overs, he picked up another wicket. I had posted on X that he bowled really well with the new ball, but the real challenge would come with the old ball. In his first two overs, he gave away just 12 runs and took two wickets. In his last two overs, he conceded 23 runs, which was a bit challenging, that’s why I had mentioned it earlier,” he added.

The 41-year-old further lauded the left-arm seamer for delivering an outstanding performance despite not playing regularly and expressed hope that he continues to feature in the XI for the remaining matches. Pathan said:

“Because for any player, no matter how good he is, when he bowls yorkers, even if that’s his strength, making a comeback is never easy. That’s why I said it was challenging, and that’s also why he gave away a few extra runs, which is fair. But credit to Arshdeep. Even without playing regularly, the way he has performed whenever he’s got a chance is commendable. Very well done. Now the hope is that he doesn’t get dropped again, that he continues to play in the regular XI. Especially after this performance, there should be absolutely no reason to bench him.”

Arshdeep Singh’s three-wicket spell earned him the Player of the Match award.

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“He bowls with great intelligence” - Irfan Pathan’s massive praise for Arshdeep Singh

In the same video, Irfan Pathan further pointed out that on multiple occasions in T20Is, Arshdeep Singh has managed to step out of Jasprit Bumrah’s shadow and produce exceptional performances. Pathan said:

“See, it’s also true that when you bowl alongside Bumrah, you are often overshadowed by him. But Arshdeep Singh, on several occasions in T20 matches, has tried to step out of that shadow and has performed really well. Bumrah didn’t take a wicket in this match, though he bowled well." "But in the same game, Arshdeep Singh picked up three wickets while Bumrah was playing. That shows how impactful his left-arm angle is. He bowls with great intelligence, and he also has variations, along with swing he can bowl accurate yorkers too. So this performance was a big positive to witness," he added.

Arshdeep Singh has now featured in 66 T20Is, picking up 104 wickets, the most by any Indian bowler in the format.

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Edited by Dev Sharma