India vs Pakistan T20 World Cup: Kuldeep vs Arshdeep Selection Dilemma

The pick between Kuldeep and Arshdeep isn’t about who bowls better, it’s about how India want to get through the middle part of an innings, without giving up what they get from the powerplay or the death overs.

Middle Overs Control and Wicket Options

Usually, on a pitch that’s been used, India are best when they control things and get wickets from the seventh to the fifteenth over – and that, of course, suits Kuldeep. But India-Pakistan games rarely go as expected, and the game can turn on two overs with the new ball, or two at the very end – where Arshdeep’s left-arm angle can quietly save fifteen or twenty runs.

So, really, it’s a question of this: do you want the chance of more wickets from wristspin, or the extra left-arm pace to protect your innings at the start and finish?

Picking Overs in a T20 Team

When picking a T20 team, you’re not picking “players”, you’re picking overs.

That’s what makes the Kuldeep and Arshdeep issue so important before India play Pakistan. Pakistan’s batting has enough power to hurt any sort of bowling, but they also have particular faults: times they can get stuck against spin, and moments when a left-arm bowler’s angle can hold back their scoring.

If India think the match will be about 170-179, Kuldeep looks better. If India expect more – 180 or higher – or a shorter match, Arshdeep’s “phase insurance” is harder to overlook.

Pitch Question Grip or Dew Later

How’s the pitch? In one sentence: will it grip, or will it be wet later?

Used pitches in Colombo often help spin at the start, but then get harder as dew falls. This makes the biggest team choice:

• If the pitch is dry and gripping: Kuldeep’s worth goes up, because his usual ball becomes a danger, and batters can’t safely guess what he’ll do.
• If it’s wet with dew later: Arshdeep’s worth goes up, because wristspin can lose its effect, but wide yorkers and hard lengths are still good.

That’s why captains like to have a good wristspinner and a left-arm fast bowler. The trouble comes when you can only carry one extra specialist bowler, along with your main attack.

A simple rule: if India are likely to bowl second, Arshdeep’s case is better, because dew usually affects the ball more when a team is chasing. If India are likely to bowl first on a dry pitch, Kuldeep is more convincing.

Linking Choice to Pakistan Batting Plan

The Kuldeep versus Arshdeep question is clearer when you link it to how Pakistan are likely to bat.

Pakistan usually have:

• One or two at the top who want to set the pace early.
• A player who can calm things down and hold the innings together.
• Middle-order batters who like to come in around the tenth to fourteenth over with a reasonable run rate.

Kuldeep goes for the player who calms things down, and the “bridge” batter who is trying to keep the pace going without risks. He makes overs eight to fourteen a contest, and often wins it by getting a mistake to the long boundary.

Arshdeep targets the top order before they get settled, then the finish when batters want easy access to the boundary. What he does is often not obvious: a six-run nineteenth over, a wicket that makes a new batter face Bumrah, a spell that stops the game becoming a 200 chase.

So, the right question is: do you fear Pakistan more in overs seven to fifteen, or in overs one to six and sixteen to twenty?

Kuldeep Middle Overs Wicket Button

Kuldeep’s strongest point: India’s middle-overs “wicket” button

Kuldeep’s best point is simple: India-Pakistan can be decided by one middle-overs wicket.

Not just any wicket – the wicket of the batter who is making the chase, or the first innings, seem calm. On a used pitch, batters often pick safety. They’ll accept a six-run over and plan to score later. Kuldeep punishes this, because he makes the batter decide: go for it (risking a bad hit) or wait (risking the rate going up).

Kuldeep also brings a special type of trouble:

• Batters can’t easily guess what’s coming if they’re not sure which ball is the googly.
• The crease becomes a trap because stepping out too early can lead to a mistimed lofted shot.
• The “safe” shot – pushing to cover or tapping to midwicket – can be blocked if India set their field correctly.

In the Kuldeep versus Arshdeep question, Kuldeep is the option that says: we want to win the match by controlling the shape of the innings, not by trading blows. Kuldeep’s prime time is overs eight through fourteen.

That’s when he’s at his most dangerous, as Pakistan’s hitters will generally be attempting to either get back on track following the powerplay, or to pick up the pace right before the final overs, or to have some batsmen left to launch a strong finish.

All of these plans give him a chance. If they try to rebuild, they might slow down too much. If they go for it, they risk giving away a big wicket. And if they save batsmen, the asking rate goes up. Kuldeep is good at using what the other team does wrong – and is even better if India play him with a sensible, safe spin bowler, perhaps a left-arm orthodox, to keep up the pressure.

Arshdeep Left Arm Pace at Start Finish

Arshdeep’s benefit is his left-arm pace, which takes care of India’s trickiest periods.

India and Pakistan matches usually have two tough parts: the first two overs, where the opener is deciding whether to go for runs or feel out the ball’s movement, and the last four overs, where a set hitter can win the match with one poor yorker.

Arshdeep gives India a left-arm angle, which makes it harder for the hitter to see the ball as they’re used to. A lot of hitters get ready for right-arm pace, naturally. A left-armer can move the hitter across his feet, change the line to the stumps, and make what looks like simple swing harder to deal with.

At the end of the innings, Arshdeep’s skills are also useful: wide yorkers to keep the hitter from getting swing on the ball, slower balls into the pitch when it’s holding up, and a natural angle that makes clean hits less likely.

If the match is close, Arshdeep is able to bowl an over that doesn’t set a pattern, but does win contests: one four, five balls of control, and maybe a wicket from a forced stroke.

In the question of Kuldeep or Arshdeep, Arshdeep is the choice if you want to win by controlling the start and finish.

Arshdeep’s best overs: the second, the eighteenth, or the twentieth.

This isn’t a mistake. He’s more valuable in certain parts of the game.

• An early over can ruin a powerplay plan.
• One late over can end the “two good overs and we win” idea.
• A wicket at the end can make a new hitter face a specialist – a big help in a high-pressure chase.

If India expect dew, a wet ball, or a flat second-innings pitch, Arshdeep goes from being a good option to being essential.

Match Up View Which Choice Hurts More

From the match-up point of view: which choice will hurt Pakistan more?

Here’s a simple way to look at the Kuldeep versus Arshdeep problem.

• If Pakistan’s right-handed hitters are expected to be important: Kuldeep’s googly will get wickets. The “I’ll just turn over the strike” plan can break down if the ball beats the inside edge or makes a high shot to the long boundary.
• If Pakistan’s left-handed hitters are expected to attack spin: Arshdeep’s angle can be a better way to keep things under control. Left-handed hitters often go for midwicket and long-on against spin; a left-arm fast bowler can push them away from their best areas and make them take more risky shots to the side.
• If Pakistan have a strong batting line-up and plan to go big at the end of the innings: Arshdeep protects the final phase. Kuldeep might get a wicket earlier, but the match can be lost in overs 18–20 if you don’t have another death-bowling specialist.
• If the pitch is slow and the scores are low: Kuldeep can turn 165 into a score that’s hard to beat by making overs 7–15 a choke phase. Arshdeep might still be good, but middle-overs wickets generally decide low-scoring matches.

Who Else Is Already Playing

What if India already have a wristspinner in the team?

This is the hidden part of the Kuldeep versus Arshdeep choice: who else is already playing?

If India already have a tricky spinner or a wristspin option in the XI, whether to include Kuldeep depends on if India want two attacking spinners or one attacking spinner and one more pace option.

If India think Pakistan will have the most trouble with spin variation, two attacking spinners can be very effective – different release points, different turn, different speeds.

If India think Pakistan will get through the middle overs and attack the edges, they’ll want the extra left-arm seamer to control the start and finish.

That’s why “Kuldeep or Arshdeep” isn’t a simple question. It depends on the rest of the team.

The plan model: pick your weapon based on how the match is likely to go.