IND vs SA | ‘I would've preferred Arshdeep over Avesh’ - Ashish Nehra

Despite posting a mammoth total of 211 on the board, India lost the first T20I of the five-match series against South Africa by seven wickets, and now they at the verge of losing another T20I match. The Indian bowlers have been one of the major reasons behind the home side's crushing bow.

India are tipped to go out-of-the-box in the absence of senior pros like Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammad Shami. And many cricket pundits had batted for Arshdeep Singh's inclusion in India's playing XI. But the Indian management decided to go with Avesh Khan as the third seamer, which raised quite a few eyeballs. 

The former Indian fast bowler Ashish Nehra has also told Cricbuzz that he would've preferred Arshdeep over Avesh had he been a part of the Indian think tank. However, Nehra's advice has not devined the management to change the team combination.

"Arshdeep Singh would've been my first choice in place of Avesh Khan but not now. The next match is in Cuttack; you generally have high scores there too. Two batters, in the end, took the game away from you. Don't think there is any need for a change," Nehra said. 

Nehra, who was the head coach of Gujarat in the IPL 2022, stressed that India should continue to field the same team in at least two more matches unless they are subjected to any significant change in conditions, as they currently lack experience. 

"Kuldeep Yadav and KL Rahul are not there. India should play three matches with the same team unless there is a drastic change in conditions. India should learn from the defeat in the first game and move to the second one without panicking much," the 43-year-old concluded.