Former Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has openly criticized the Indian team management’s decision to drop wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav during the ongoing T20I series against the West Indies. Ashwin raised sharp questions over excluding a key spinner who had consistently troubled the opposition batters with his wrist-spin variations.
Kuldeep played in the first two T20Is held in Lucknow and Ranchi before being sidelined for the third and fourth matches in Indore and Hyderabad. He had picked up 2/33 in the opening game but conceded 53 runs in the second match, which India lost.
India’s bowling lineup struggled significantly in the fourth T20I in Hyderabad, where the West Indies posted a massive 247 runs in 20 overs to register a 24-run win, tying the five-match series at 2–2.
Ashwin Calls Selection Decision a “Lack of Common Sense”
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Ashwin expressed his shock over the management’s decision to lose faith in Kuldeep so quickly against a team that struggles against spin variations.
“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 remarked.
Highlighting the strategic flaw in leaving out a specialist spinner, he added, “So, if you are leaving Kuldeep out against them, it lacks a bit of common sense. I think his presence could have made a difference of 15 to 20 runs in the match.”
Defending Kuldeep Against the Ranchi Match Defeat
While Ashwin mentioned that excluding Kuldeep in Indore made practical sense due to the small boundary dimensions of the venue, he strongly defended the spinner regarding India’s loss 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. “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.”
Strong Form Prior to the Drop
Before the T20I series, Kuldeep Yadav had performed exceptionally well in the ODI series against the West Indies, taking seven wickets across three matches and finishing as India’s highest wicket-taker in the series.
With the T20I series currently tied at 2–2, India and the West Indies will lock horns in the fifth and final series-deciding match at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.