The current numbers of Arshdeep Singh in T20I cricket underline how massive he is for India’s success in the format. An integral member of the Rohit Sharma-led squad which won the T20 World Cup in 2024, the left-arm quick will again be a vital cog in India’s pursuit of their Cup defence at home this February and March.
But before the T20 showpiece, Arshdeep will be spending some time in the 50-over format in the form of the three-match ODI series against New Zealand, beginning on January 11 in Nagpur.
The 26-year-old hasn’t really been a regular in the one-day format, though 22 wickets from 14 appearances so far suggest he hasn’t done too badly in ODIs either. Besides, whenever picked in the XI, Arshdeep has tried his best to grab the opportunity and make a mark.
The ODIs in South Africa back in December 2023, his second 50-over assignment, were an indication of Arshdeep’s potential in the format as he had finished with 10 wickets from three games with an equally impressive economy rate of 3.51.
Earlier in 2025, Arshdeep was selected for just a lone ODI against England in Ahmedabad 11 months back. Lately, though, he appears to be more regular in the one-day team, having featured in two of the three ODIs in Australia last October followed by the three-match home series against South Africa.
On the belters prepared for that extremely high-scoring series, which India won 2-1, Arshdeep’s economy rate read 5.50 from the 28 overs he had bowled, picking up five wickets. In that series too, it wasn’t very easy to put Arshdeep away when he had the new ball in hand.
In T20s, his overs in the Powerplay always assume importance, given his ability to strike early by extracting movement and swing.
In the 50-over matches, even if he’s unable to get early wickets, the dot balls from Arshdeep inside the first 10 overs are also significant in terms of adding to the pressure of the opposition batting line-up. For a bowler with 73 scalps from 43 List A appearances so far, his potential in the format cannot be doubted much.
More than a year and a half remains for the 2027 ODI World Cup in South Africa. But, the fact that Arshdeep has featured in most of India’s recent ODI series, does indicate that the selectors have him in their plans for the 50-over showpiece. And if Arshdeep fares well in this New Zealand series, that will certainly bode well for him in terms of firming up his place in India’s ODI scheme of things.
“Arshdeep may go for a few runs, but at the end of the day, he’s a bowler who bowls with a lot of heart and guts. Together with his wicket-taking ability, that makes him a quality bowler,” said a former national selector.
“In white-ball cricket, you need guts to bounce back even after being expensive early on. And that’s something Arshdeep has in him. Even if he’s finding it tough out in the middle and is under the cosh, you’ll still see him running in hard. That urgency is always there in his bowling action.
“So, when you have such a bowler at your disposal, you should look to make him an all-format player. And looking at the next ODI World Cup, he definitely deserves a place in the team,” the ex-selector emphasised.
Both inswing and away-swing aside, surprising the batsman with the short ball and varying the pace is also a part of Arshdeep’s arsenal at present. If he is consistent, he can also go on to be Jasprit Bumrah’s ideal new-ball partner in the next ODI World Cup.
At the same time, Arshdeep’s success will not just add to India’s options in ODI cricket, but also keep a senior pacer like Mohammed Siraj on his toes. This intra-team competition certainly augurs well for Indian cricket going forward.
