R Ashwin and Kuldeep Yadav
Former India spinner R Ashwin has criticised the team management for dropping Kuldeep Yadav during the ongoing T20I series against the West Indies, questioning the decision to leave out a wrist-spinner who had troubled the visiting batters.Kuldeep featured in the first two matches in Lucknow and Ranchi before being left out of the playing XI for the games in Indore and Hyderabad. He returned figures of 2/33 in the opening T20I but conceded 53 runs in the second match, which India went on to lose.
India’s bowling concerns persisted in the fourth T20I in Hyderabad, where the West Indies piled up 247 runs in 20 overs and secured a 24-run victory. Reacting to Kuldeep’s omission, Ashwin said he could not understand why the team management had seemingly lost confidence in the spinner.“It is very surprising because, on a ground where you expect to get some bounce, I know it has not always been a happy hunting ground for spinners, but the West Indies batters are struggling to pick his googly and leg-spin,” Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.He questioned the logic behind excluding Kuldeep against an opposition that had found it difficult to read his variations, adding, “So, if you are leaving Kuldeep out against them, it lacks a bit of common sense.”
Ashwin also emphasised the potential impact of Kuldeep’s presence, suggesting that the spinner could have helped restrict the West Indies’ total. “It is very surprising because I think his presence could have made a difference of 15-20 runs,” he said.
'I was surprised': Ashwin
While Ashwin acknowledged that leaving Kuldeep out in Indore was understandable given the ground’s small dimensions, he rejected the suggestion that the spinner’s performance was responsible for India’s defeat in Ranchi.“I was surprised. Kuldeep was not picked in Indore, and I would still endorse that decision because I can understand that the ground is small,” Ashwin explained.However, he disagreed with attributing the Ranchi defeat to Kuldeep, stating, “But you are almost making an issue out of it by suggesting that India’s loss in Ranchi was because of Kuldeep. That, in itself, is wrong.”Kuldeep had previously impressed during India’s ODI series against the West Indies earlier in the month, claiming seven wickets across three matches to emerge as India’s leading wicket-taker in the series.With the T20I contest level at 2–2, India and the West Indies are set to meet in the fifth and final match in Bengaluru.