Former cricketer Yograj Singh has made a bold claim, citing that India could have won the recent Test series against England 5-0 if they had opted to play Arshdeep Singh in the XI.

The Shubman Gill-led side levelled the series 2-2. While the visitors lost the first and third Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy at Headingley and Lord’s, they managed to pull off victories in the second and fifth game at Edgbaston and Oval. The penultimate Test in Manchester ended in a draw.

Arshdeep did not get a single opportunity, even with pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah managing his workload. To make matters worse, the left-arm quick sustained a left thumb injury that ruled him out of the fourth Test.

“Even in England, we could have won 5-0 if Arshdeep was there in the squad. We could have won the series 3-2, had we not lost at Lord’s by 21 runs, because our tail enders we pushing it hard," Yograj said while speaking to InsideSport.

“They couldn’t win it, they couldn’t achieve it, because we never gave them a chance with the bat. If we can make all-rounders (out of bowlers), then our team can once again be like a Sourav Ganguly team," he added.

The Indian team’s lower order crumbled in the run chase during the third Test at Lord’s. The lower order, in a way, redeemed itself in the final Test with the series on the line.

“The problem with the Indian squad, at the moment, is that we aren’t looking to make the bowlers into all-rounders. Kapil Dev was never given batting in the nets. I was yelling at the top of my voice, ‘Kapil ko batting karao (Make Kapil bat)," Yograj said.

Having gone through the tour without playing a single competitive match, Arshdeep Singh recently returned to action through Duleep Trophy, representing North Zone. He will next play for India in the Asia Cup 2025, slated to get underway on September 9 in the UAE.