Former cricketer slams India for excluding Kuldeep from Manchester Test

MANCHESTER: Former Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin on Thursday criticised the Indian team management for leaving out Kuldeep Yadav in the ongoing Test series against England. 

Speaking to his YouTube channel after day two of the fourth Test at Old Trafford, Manchester, Ashwin expressed his shock at the decision, especially after India’s underwhelming bowling performance.

“If somebody had told me that Kuldeep Yadav would not play any part in the first four Tests, I would have been very, very surprised. It’s blowing my mind,” Ashwin said.

Ashwin felt the team missed an opportunity to strengthen their bowling attack by not including Kuldeep, a specialist spinner, instead of relying on batting depth.

“See, you may get 20-30 extra runs from your No.8, but if that player can take 2-3 wickets, the complexion of the match changes,” Ashwin said. 

“Once Nitish Kumar Reddy was out of the picture at No.6, it was a no-brainer to play Kuldeep. Fifteen full days of cricket have happened already, your fast bowlers are tiring, Siraj was tiring, and even though Bumrah’s workload has been managed, it’s still tough.”

Ashwin stressed that winning Test matches depends on taking 20 wickets rather than banking on lower-order runs. 

“Gone are the days in England when 20-30 extra runs made a difference. That advantage is gone,” he concluded.

It is pertinent to mention that India made multiple changes to their playing XI for the fourth Test. Debutant Anshul Kamboj replaced the injured Akash Deep, while Shardul Thakur came in for Nitish Kumar Reddy, who was ruled out with a knee injury.