Why Shreyas Iyer Dropped Arshdeep Singh For AFG vs IND 3rd T20I? Reason Explained

India will look to complete a 3-0 series sweep as they take on Afghanistan in the third and final T20I at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi on Thursday. Shreyas Iyer’s side has already taken an unassailable 2-0 lead after registering convincing seven-wicket victories in the opening two matches.

With the series already secured, India have the opportunity to experiment with their combination and give some of their fringe players valuable game time ahead of a packed schedule. However, they made only one change in the squad as star pacer Arshdeep Singh was dropped from the IND vs AFG 3rd T20I.

Why Arshdeep Singh is Not Playing Today?

India made one change to their playing XI for the AFG vs IND 3rd T20I, with Yash Thakur coming into the side as Arshdeep Singh replacement. Captain Shreyas Iyer confirmed the change at the toss, saying, "One change - Yash Thakur comes in place of Arshdeep (Singh)."

The decision appears to be linked to workload management, particularly with a hectic schedule awaiting Arshdeep. The left-arm pacer is part of India's squad for the upcoming Asian Games, which begin later this month. He is also part of India's T20I squad for the five-match series against the West Indies, beginning on October 6.

India will also play a T20I against Japan on September 22 before beginning their Asian Games campaign on September 28. The overlap between these assignments means tht the team management has to carefully manage its frontline players.

With India already having sealed the Afghanistan series, resting Arshdeep gives him a chance to manage his workload while allowing Yash Thakur to get another opportunity at the international level. Thakur was also added to India's Afghanistan and Asian Games squads after Harshit Rana was ruled out through injury.

Why India Did Not Rest Jasprit Bumrah?

Jasprit Bumrah’s workload has been one of the talking points surrounding India-Afghanistan series, especially after the fast bowler returned from a knee injury. Yet, with the third T20I underway in Delhi, Bumrah has been named in India’s playing XI for all three matches.

Bumrah made an immediate impact in the first T20I, dismissing Rahmanullah Gurbaz for a duck as India won by seven wickets. In the second game, he continued to feature, picking up a wicket and conceding only 22 runs in four overs as India secured another seven-wicket victory and sealed the series 2-0. His selection for the third match means he has now played all three T20Is despite the team's focus on managing workloads.

The decision is particularly notable because India face a packed schedule and Bumrah is part of the squad which will play T20I against Japan on September 22 followed by the Asian Games campaign from September 28. Being the best bowler in the world, he was expected to be rested for the third game.

However, captain Shreyas Iyer had previously explained that Bumrah wanted game time after returning from injury, saying playing time would help rebuild confidence before the Asian Games.