‘Blatant favouritism’ - Shubman Gill & Co face severe backlash after Arshdeep Singh warms bench during IND vs NZ 1st ODI

The Indian team management faced severe backlash on Sunday after the Men in Blue benched Arshdeep Singh in the first ODI against New Zealand at the BCA stadium in Vadodara. The decision to bench Arshdeep not only took the experts by surprise, but it also drew sharp reactions online.

In the absence of Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj led the Indian pace bowling attack, along Prasidh Krishna and Harshit Rana in the playing XI. The criticism stemmed after Arshdeep didn't find a place despite being most economical in the ODI series against South Africa.

When asked about the combination, captain Shubman Gill ruled it out as “trying different combinations” before the 2027 World Cup. “We will bowl first. Honestly, try different kinds of combinations, you know, see what combination suits us the best for different conditions, obviously when we play in India,” Gill told toss presenter Ravi Shastri.

However, Gill's words didn't satisfy the fans. “They dropped Arshdeep Singh who was the most economical bowler for India in the last ODI series but run-machine Prasidh Krishna is still in the Playing 11. This is blatant favouritism!!!” said one user on X.

“So you are telling me we are going with Prasidh Krishna instead of Arshdeep Singh. Isn't it obvious favouritism,” said another.

“From Harshit to Prasidh: The Ongoing Snub of Arshdeep Singh - It feels like not selecting Arshdeep in the team has simply become a hobby for this team management,” another user wrote on X.

"Prasidh Krishna, who is an inconsistent performer and a run-leaking machine, is getting chances over Arshdeep. Sometimes Harshit plays in Arshdeep's place, sometimes Prasidh. Why does no one question these nonsensical tactics of the team management?" the post further read.

Arshdeep Singh's performances in ODIs

The criticism around Krishna and Rana came after the duo were behind Arshdeep in terms of economy in the ODI series against South Africa. The left-arm seamer was India's most consistent performer against the Proteas with five wickets in three games at an economy of 5.50.

In comparison, Rana leaked runs at an economy of 6.39, picking up four wickets. Krishna had the worst economy - 7.80 - in the three ODIs against South Africa. Besides the three-man pace attack, India have also gone with three spinners - Kuldeep Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar.

India vs New Zealand 1st ODI playing XIs

New Zealand: Devon Conway, Henry Nicholls, Will Young, Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Mitchell Hay(w), Michael Bracewell(c), Zakary Foulkes, Kristian Clarke, Kyle Jamieson, Adithya Ashok

India: Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill(c), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul(w), Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Harshit Rana, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna