Team India commenced their Asia Cup 2025 campaign against United Arab Emirates at Dubai International Cricket Stadium on September 10, with captain Suryakumar Yadav winning the toss and opting to field first. However, the major talking point ahead of the Group A encounter was the unexpected exclusion of premier left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh from the playing XI, sparking widespread criticism from cricket fans across social media platforms.

Indian fans slam team management for dropping Arshdeep Singh in IND vs UAE match

The decision to drop Arshdeep came as a massive shock considering his stellar T20I record and current form. India’s leading T20I wicket-taker with 99 scalps in 63 matches at an impressive average of 18.30, Arshdeep was on the verge of creating history by becoming the first Indian bowler to claim 100 T20I wickets. The left-arm pacer needed just one more wicket to achieve this milestone and would have been the fourth-fastest bowler globally to reach the landmark.

Former India bowling coach Bharat Arun had earlier expressed concerns about Arshdeep’s match practice ahead of the tournament, noting that the pacer hadn’t played for India since February 2025 and participated in only one Duleep Trophy match before joining the Asia Cup squad. Despite these concerns, fans expected the management to include their premier death-over specialist in the crucial opener.

The exclusion became even more controversial when India’s playing XI was announced with Varun Chakaravarthy preferred over the experienced campaigner. Cricket fans took to social media platforms expressing their displeasure with the team management’s decision, with many questioning the logic behind benching India’s most successful T20I bowler for a relatively straightforward opponent like UAE.

Here’s how fans reacted:

Currently, Arshdeep is the best T20 bowler. They dropped him. Dumb coach Gambhir, dumb captain SKY. pic.twitter.com/oZFNS9Kbje

— 𝙎𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙖𝙖 (@SheraHP33) September 10, 2025

BIGGEST SURPRISE OF THE DAY 🤯

– No Arshdeep Singh in the Playing 11 in the first match of Asia Cup. pic.twitter.com/Ftz2rFqLXN

— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) September 10, 2025

~Dropped from 2 T20i vs england
~Dropped from 2 ODIs vs england
~Didn't got a single game in champions trophy
~Didn't got a single game in england test series
~ Dropped from 1st Match of Asia Cup ( could be his 100th wicket match )
What is Arshdeep Singh doing wrong? pic.twitter.com/9AKXYSFRvi

— Parv 🚩 (@ParvCryEmoji) September 10, 2025

🚨 Arshdeep Singh got dropped by Gautam Gambhir against UAE because he cannot bat.

– Arshdeep Singh debuted for India in 2021 & already became India's all time highest wicket taker in India in T20Is.

– Took most wickets in 2024T20I WC & won us.

Dropped!pic.twitter.com/gFqbF6LYhF

— Rajiv (@Rajiv1841) September 10, 2025

Arshdeep singh is Our no one Bowler in t20I

First Gautam Gambhir did not give him a chance in Tests and now he has been removed from the T20 Asia Cup team as well .

He is Better Bowler Than Jasprit Bumrah

Rinku Singh also removed from the team pic.twitter.com/B8JFjbn0cw

— Honest Cricket Lover (@Honest_Cric_fan) September 10, 2025

🚨 NO ARSHDEEP SINGH IN PLAYING XI 🤯🚨

– Arshdeep Singh highest Wicket taker for India in T20 & not part of playing XI 🤯 What a joke. pic.twitter.com/gZRxY0S22y

— VIKAS (@Vikas662005) September 10, 2025

Personal Issues with ARSHDEEP FOR SURE ‼️. SAMSON OR KULDEEP OVER ARSHDEEP ❓️ . SHOCKING #arshdeepsingh #AsiaCup2025 pic.twitter.com/9JpkZ7OuBS

— Aaryan (@SquadSadda32936) September 10, 2025

Arshdeep Singh is clearly a victim of dirty politics.
He is a 3 format player imho and hasn't been picked in the starting 11 in his best format ie t20i. You got to feel very sorry for him. That's why hiring a PR team to hype you is very important 👏 pic.twitter.com/au7ZkKWsHg

— Troll cricket unlimitedd (@TUnlimitedd) September 10, 2025

GG is the worst sh*t coach ever seen, this bastard again not selected Arshdeep singh, i guess he is targetting pbks players, disappointed fr!#indvsuae #AsiaCup2025 #india #arshdeepsingh

— KunaL (@kk2102007) September 10, 2025

No Arshdeep Singh? 🤯 What a pathetic decision! Makes zero sense at all. Gautam Gambhir is literally ruining this team how can you drop India’s highest wicket-taker in this format? Absolute madness and totally baffling.
He is just 1 wicket away from 100 T20I wickets.… pic.twitter.com/hzEgkXpt9o

— Stumper (@TheStumpStory) September 10, 2025

Arshdeep Singh being ignored again in T20Is is pure madness 🚨
This guy is literally India’s only left-arm option, takes wickets both with the new ball 🌪️ and at the death 💀 but somehow doesn’t fit in the “plans” 🤡

What more does he need to do?#AsiaCup #INDvUAE #arshdeepsingh pic.twitter.com/nBRpLKZDWS

— Shubham (@Shubham02_03) September 10, 2025

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Playing XI of both the teams