TV
India have a world-class spinner like Kuldeep Yadav in their ranks. However, the visitors have not yet included the chinaman spinner in the playing XI in the ongoing Test series against England. The move has baffled many experts and fans across the globe.
Former Indian great Ravichandran Ashwin slammed the Indian team management for underutilising Kuldeep in the ongoing Test series. The former off-spinner even expressed shock at his exclusion from the fourth Test in Manchester despite injuries to key bowlers and all-rounders like Akash Deep, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Arshdeep Singh.
Ashwin questioned the team’s obsession with batting depth, arguing that the preference for lower-order runs over genuine wicket-taking ability cost India strategically.
"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," said Ashwin on his YouTube channel.
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"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?” he questioned.
