Former India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has criticised the team management’s decision to not pick Kuldeep Yadav for the ongoing fourth Test against England in Manchester. He called Kuldeep’s omission "a serious miss" and said the team’s combination had left him baffled.
England openers Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley batted freely and stitched together a 166-run stand. The Indian bowling attack looked flat and fatigued. They managed to take just two wickets all day. At stumps on Day 2, England were 225/2 and trailed by only 133 runs with eight wickets in hand.
With several injuries affecting India's squad, changes were inevitable. Akash Deep, Arshdeep Singh and Nitish Kumar Reddy were ruled out. This forced the inclusion of debutant Anshul Kamboj and all-rounder Shardul Thakur.
Also read: Ravi Shastri fumes 'rubbish' after India's pace trio Siraj, Kamboj & Bumrah let England score freely
Ravichandran Ashwin Questions Team Combination and Kuldeep Yadav's Absence in Manchester Test
Following a difficult day in the field where Indian bowlers struggled to take wickets on Day 2, Ravichandran Ashwin questioned the logic behind favouring batting depth over genuine wicket-taking options.
"See, you may get 20-30 extra runs from the No.8 batter, but if that player at No.8 takes 2-3 wickets, then the complexion of the Test match can change. The management decided to play Nitish Kumar Reddy at Lord's and Birmingham, I'll admit that was an okay decision, because he is a top-six calibre batter, and he is not Ben Stokes yet, but there is skill in his bowling," Ashwin said as quoted on his YouTube channel.
Ashwin argued that bowling resources needed to be managed better given the demanding nature of the five-match Test series. He believed Kuldeep Yadav’s inclusion would have helped relieve pressure from the fast-bowlers.
"Once Nitish Kumar Reddy went out of the picture at No.6, it was a no-brainer to play Kuldeep Yadav. 15 full days of cricket has happened already, your fast bowling attack is tiring, Siraj was tiring. Even though Bumrah's workload has been managed, it is still not an easy task. Kuldeep Yadav is a serious miss for India, and England are ahead in the Test. Shubman Gill is unable to give six over, seven over spells to Bumrah, you cannot run him to the ground. I felt the spinners could have been rotated better," Ashwin added.
"If somebody would have told me that Kuldeep Yadav will not be playing any part in the first four Tests, I would have been very, very surprised. Unfortunately, it is our obsession with batting, and looking for those 20-30 extra runs. Gone are those days in England, that advantage of 20-30 runs is gone. If your No.7 makes 30 runs, and your No.8 makes 30 runs, you have extra 60 runs. Earlier that 60 runs used to be very useful, because bowlers used to get help from the pitch."
"It’s Blowing My Head Away" - Ravichandran Ashwin on India’s Decision to Pick Shardul Thakur Over Kuldeep Yadav
Ashwin was critical about Shardul’s selection. While he expressed admiration for the all-rounder, he could not understand the logic of selecting him for minimal bowling impact when someone like Kuldeep could have provided a genuine wicket-taking threat.
"If you are only planning to give Shardul Thakur this many overs, and expect 20-30 runs from him. I love Shardul Thakur, I like him a lot, but if this is the usage point, why can't you consider Kuldeep Yadav? It is just blowing my head away. I know it seems against the grain because there are three spinners, but it is not that way, Jadeja is a specialist batter for you now. Washington Sundar is also batting well. When your bowlers can bat so well, why are you not bringing an attacking bowler? Today, Jassi [Jasprit] was bowling, and after that it looked like India had no other options to take a wicket.”
"I am not saying that Kuldeep would have picked up five wickets if he was playing, but it plays with a batter's mind. A lot of these guys don't pick him, and this was a great opportunity. He would have at least picked one wicket if he was playing today," Ashwin concluded.
