Kuldeep Yadav‘s continued absence from India’s playing XI has drawn fresh criticism after the left-arm wrist spinner was overlooked for the entire ODI series against England, prompting former India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin to question the team management’s faith in him. The spinner once again missed out in the third ODI at Lord’s on Sunday, even with Jasprit Bumrah unavailable. His omission has further fuelled debate over his role under head coach Gautam Gambhir. Since Gambhir took charge on July 9, 2024, India have played 104 international matches across formats, but Kuldeep has featured in only 38 of them. The lack of opportunities has left Ashwin convinced that the spinner is no longer part of the team’s plans. Speaking on his YouTube channel, Ashwin said Kuldeep should stop waiting around for chances that do not appear to be coming. “Kuldeep should not be playing at all, There’s no need at all. This is a batsman’s world, which can never understand a bowler’s confidence and rhythm. I am a big Indian cricket buff – I always think about Indian cricket. Even when the IPL is going on, I keep thinking, ‘What can it do for Indian cricket?’ Kuldeep is at a stage where he’ll play until 35 or 36 years of age. He has a good contract; he recently went in the IPL trade – he should have packed his bags and come. Like Mohammad Kaif said, what is the point?” Ashwin also backed Kuldeep’s quality, describing him as the finest wrist spinner in world cricket and arguing that his record compares favourably with some of the leading white-ball spinners around the globe. “Kuldeep has picked up around 170 wickets from 120 matches. If you look at the wrist spinners across the world, he is even better than Adam Zampa. We consider Adam Zampa one of the better white-ball spinners. He is ahead of all of them,” he said. The former India spinner admitted he had previously believed Kuldeep should remain with the squad and continue improving his batting while waiting for opportunities. However, India’s team selection at Lord’s changed his perspective completely. “Before yesterday, I used to say – Kuldeep should stay there with the kit bag and try to improve his batting. But after yesterday (third ODI), a lot of things changed… In this team, where you don’t need batting at number 8 – you went with bowling strength – and even then, after Jasprit Bumrah’s absence, you’re still not taking Kuldeep Yadav. It means the management’s confidence in Kuldeep Yadav is absolutely zero. The team management has no confidence in Kuldeep Yadav at all,” he said. Ashwin questioned what lies ahead for Kuldeep if he is unable to secure a place even when conditions appear to favour his inclusion. “After we left, where is his chance? He has to be the number one now. But the confidence being shown in him – there’s none. What is the point of Kuldeep continuing? What is the direction forward for him?” Ashwin asked. He also suggested that every dressing room naturally develops preferred players, but felt Kuldeep’s situation had become unusually difficult. “I know everyone has their favourites. It’s impossible for someone to come and say, ‘I’ll treat everyone equally.’ Without even realizing it, you will have your favourites. That will be there, but this is a case that is very bizarre. Yesterday was a big blow to Kuldeep.” Kuldeep last represented India during the home ODI series against Afghanistan in June, where he featured in just one of the three matches. Earlier this year, he endured a disappointing ODI series against New Zealand and also made only a single appearance during India’s T20 World Cup campaign.
